I tried baked mac-and-cheese recipes by Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Martha Stewart. One stood out.

Sep 04, 2026 10:14 PM - 1 week ago 4

As summertime transitions into fall, thing says cozy upwind rather for illustration a gooey, baked mac and cheese.

Celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Ree Drummond each person their ain recipes for baked mac and cheese, truthful I decided to put them to the test.

The recipes took different approaches. Martha Stewart kept hers accepted but extra-indulgent, relying connected 4 types of food and sautéed yellowish bulb for a rich | flavor.

Ina Garten added tomato, which gave her mac and food a brighter, somewhat tangy twist that group it isolated from the much straightforward versions.

Ree Drummond's pasta recipe felt the astir fall-ready, pinch roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, and buttery, savory flavors that felt particularly cozy.

Here's really to make each celebrity-chef-approved baked mac-and-cheese recipe.

Up first was Martha Stewart's creamy mac and cheese.

martha stewart mac and food ingredients

The ingredients for Martha Stewart's creamy mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Stewart's look calls for 4 different kinds of food and includes sautéed onion.

You tin find the afloat look here.

I started by pouring a fewer tablespoons of unsalted food successful a cookware connected the stove.

butter pouring successful a cookware connected the stove

I melted the food successful a cookware connected the stove. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I chose a medium-sized Dutch oven to make the food sauce. 

After the food had afloat melted, I added the yellowish bulb to the cookware and stirred it. The smell of food and onions filled my kitchen.

onions and food successful a yellowish cookware connected a stove

I past added the onions. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The look calls for a 4th cup of diced yellowish bulb and says to sauté the onions until they are translucent, which should return astir 5 minutes. 

While the onions were cooking, I group astir the somewhat grueling task of grating each the cheeses.

shredded cheeses

I hand-shredded the cheeses for the macaroni. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

It took rather a spot of effort to hand-grate the cheeses. It was besides difficult to measurement retired each food exactly, truthful I ended up estimating somewhat.

However, successful the end, I had the correct magnitude of each food to make the sauce, positive immoderate food near complete to sprinkle connected the mac and food earlier putting it successful the oven. 

Next, I cooked the macaroni noodles.

cooked macaroni noodles successful a colander

I strained the pasta successful a colander. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The noodles took astir 5 minutes to cook, arsenic they're expected to beryllium somewhat undercooked earlier going successful the oven. 

After the onions had reached the constituent of being translucent, I added successful the flour.

onions and food mixed pinch flour connected the stove

I mixed the onions and food pinch flour connected the stove. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

It quickly thickened the onion-and-butter mixture. Per the recipe's instructions, I stirred the onions, flour, and food together and fto the substance bubble for a fewer seconds.

I past added 3 cups of full milk. The substance was now starting to lucifer a food sauce.

cheese condiment connected the stove

The food condiment cooked connected the stove. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

After a fewer minutes, the substance had begun to thicken. 

To decorativeness the food sauce, I added the 4 kinds of food — fontina, Gruyère, cheddar, and Parmigiano Reggiano — on pinch the seasonings. After stirring the food condiment until each the ingredients were wholly melted and combined, it was clip to adhd it to the macaroni.

By the clip I poured the noodles into the larger cookware and added the food sauce, I had been prepping and cooking for astir an hour.

macaroni mixed pinch food sauce

I mixed the cooked macaroni noodles pinch the food sauce. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

However, the steps were easy to follow, and I was capable to beryllium down erstwhile the mac and food was fresh to beryllium put successful the oven.

You tin make the mac and food successful individual pans aliases successful a larger 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

macaroni and food pinch breadcrumbs earlier being put successful the oven

The mac and food earlier being put successful the oven. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

After scooping my mac and food retired of the cookware and into the dish, I realized I had a batch near over. I could person easy filled different 3/4-ounce dish. 

I past topped my macaroni-and-cheese substance pinch breadcrumbs.

You tin usage homemade breadcrumbs, aliases you tin usage store-bought successful a pinch. I didn't person a nutrient processor disposable to make excavation homemade, but I recovered the store-bought benignant didn't negatively impact my extremity result, and I was happy to trim retired a measurement and prevention myself immoderate dishes.

After half an hr successful the oven, my macaroni and food was done. It was delicious.

finished mac and food successful a pyrex dish

The vanished mac-and-cheese broadside successful a Pyrex dish. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The apical furniture of mac and food had a delicious, lightly browned crust, while underneath, the mac and food was still perfectly creamy. It was capable to provender astir 4 people, though I could person fed much if I had much dishes to cook the remainder of the leftover macaroni.

Ultimately, this crockery by Martha Stewart was really flavorful, pinch a somewhat steaming taste.

Ina Garten's look for baked mac and food calls for less ingredients.

ingredients for ina garten macaroni and cheese

The ingredients for Ina Garten's mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The look uses only 2 types of food — extra-sharp cheddar and Gruyère — making it a small little time-consuming and costly to make. Perhaps to dress up for little cheese, the look uses much food and beverage than Stewart's version.

You tin find the afloat look here.

The look calls for a whopping 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

butter pouring successful a cookware connected the stove

I melted the food successful a cookware connected the stove. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Two tablespoons are reserved for the end, truthful you commencement disconnected by pouring 6 tablespoons successful a cookware connected the stove. It's important to melt it astatine a debased power — you don't want the food to pain aliases boil.

While the food was melting, I started boiling the pasta. The look calls for a lb of macaroni aliases cavatappi pasta. The personage cook besides recommends adding lipid to the boiling h2o successful the pot, which prevents the pasta from sticking to the bottom.

I past added the basking beverage into the flour-and-butter mixture.

macaroni and food condiment successful a yellowish cookware connected the stove

I cooked the food condiment connected the stove. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The adjacent measurement was whisking it together until the ingredients were afloat combined.

While the substance was disconnected the heat, I started grating my extra-sharp achromatic cheddar cheese. The look calls for 8 ounces, which turned retired to beryllium the full package. It took a while to grate, truthful I was thankful that I had bought pre-grated Gruyere cheese.

After adding the 2 kinds of cheese, my condiment began to thicken.

cheese condiment connected the stove

The food condiment began to thicken. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I seasoned the cookware of food condiment pinch nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Ina Garten recommends boiling the noodles afloat earlier putting them successful the oven, alternatively than leaving them somewhat al dente. After my noodles were cooked, I poured the food condiment complete them and mixed it each together pinch a woody spoon.

The food condiment successful the Garten look was somewhat thicker and had a chopped "cheese pull."

macaroni mixed pinch food condiment and a woody spoon

The mac and food had a thick, stringy consistency. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I scooped the substance into a baking crockery and waited for the oven to decorativeness pre-heating to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Garten recommends topping the mac and food pinch breadcrumbs and herb slices earlier putting it successful the oven.

the vanished ina garten macaroni and cheese

The vanished Ina Garten mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I made 1 broadside of my crockery pinch tomatoes and 1 without, truthful I could spot which 1 I preferred. I topped some sides pinch store-bought breadcrumbs.

After astir half an hour, the mac and food was bubbling and browned connected the top.

The crockery smelled heavenly, but I thought it could person been a small cheesier.

the vanished ina garten macaroni and cheese

The vanished Ina Garten macaroni and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The tomatoes were somewhat roasted, adding a tart spirit and a unsocial texture to the crockery and taking this mac and food to the adjacent level. 

I thought this look was besides overmuch easier to make than Stewart's. With the Stewart version, I had to prep onions and grate 4 kinds of cheese, for not that overmuch much spirit successful the end.

I liked the summation of the tomatoes, which mildly popped successful my mouth, but felt that, of the 3 recipes, this was the slightest kid-friendly.

Ree Drummond's look for butternut-squash mac and food takes little than an hr to make.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I trim the butternut squash successful half. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I started by prepping my butternut squash. Instead of pre-cut cubes, which I usually buy, Drummond's look calls for a full butternut squash trim successful half.

I recovered it amazingly easy to trim the squash successful half. Since you only request 1 half, I group the different half speech for different time aft cutting it.

You tin find the afloat look here.

After cutting the squash successful half, I removed the seeds pinch a spoon.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I drizzled the butternut squash pinch oliva oil. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

This only took a minute, but it required vigorous scraping to region each the seeds and courage from the butternut squash.

After preheating my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I placed the prepped squash connected a baking expanse and drizzled it pinch oliva oil.

I past cooked it successful the oven until it was fork-tender and somewhat browned, according to Drummond's instructions. This took astir 30 minutes. 

While the squash was roasting, I started cooking the onions.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I sautéed the onions successful a stainless alloy pan. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The look calls for 2 sliced yellowish onions. I added them to a large, oven-safe skillet pinch 2 tablespoons of butter. I cooked the onions, stirring them occasionally until they were a heavy aureate brown.

This was easy capable to do, and I loved really the rich | bulb scent filled my room — moreover my roommates commented connected really bully everything smelled. After the onions were done, I group them speech connected a plate.

I utilized a fork to scrape retired the insides of the squash, which was easy because it was truthful soft.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I mashed the butternut squash successful a vessel pinch a fork. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

After transferring the scraped-out butternut squash into a medium-sized bowl, I mashed it lightly pinch a fork. I recovered that the squash was already truthful tender that it didn't require overmuch mashing to scope the desired consistency. 

After the squash was done and group aside, I prepared the condiment successful the aforesaid skillet I utilized to navigator the onions.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I melted the food successful a stainless alloy pan. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

To get started, I added 4 tablespoons of food to the skillet and melted it complete medium-high heat.

The condiment besides calls for 2 cups of shredded crisp cheddar cheese. I utilized medium-sharp cheddar, but you tin usage whichever cheddar food you prefer. 

Once the food was melted, I added the flour, cheddar cheese, and butternut squash.

ree drummond pioneer female butternut squash macaroni and cheese

The condiment for the butternut squash mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I added the beverage successful mini increments, folding the condiment to evenly administer the ingredients.

Once the condiment was done, I added the cooked macaroni and onions and stirred it together.

pioneer female ree drummond butternut squash macaroni and cheese

The mac and food pinch the onions connected top. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I utilized my woody spoon to fold the macaroni into the sauce, making judge it was well-mixed.

It took a spot of effort to operation the onions evenly passim the skillet — I recovered they tended to clump together successful spots. However, I was capable to administer them passim aft a infinitesimal aliases 2 of folding and mixing. 

I past prepped the breadcrumbs, which were expected to beryllium radiated complete the apical of my mac and cheese.

ree drummond pioneer female butternut squash macaroni and cheese

I mixed the breadcrumbs pinch melted butter. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

After pouring 2 tablespoons of food successful a microwave-safe bowl, I added half a cup of seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. 

I radiated the breadcrumbs complete the mac and food and baked it for astir 20 minutes.

The vanished butternut squash macaroni and cheese.

The vanished butternut squash mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I baked the mac and food successful the skillet until the edges turned a heavy aureate brownish and the breadcrumb topping was crisp and toasted.

As I scooped retired each serving pinch a spatula, the creamy pasta gave way, revealing bits of soft, caramelized bulb woven passim the crockery beneath its crunchy apical layer.

This was 1 of the astir flavorful mac and food recipes I've ever made, and it's decidedly my favourite of the three.

The vanished butternut squash macaroni and cheese.

The vanished butternut squash mac and cheese. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I overmuch preferred this type of the mac and cheese.

This look felt particularly existent to Ree Drummond's estimation for cozy, crowd-pleasing comfortableness food. The sautéed onions brought a rich, buttery extent that made each wound consciousness much comforting and complex, though their spirit was beardown capable to somewhat overshadow some the butternut squash and cheddar.

Still, I loved the dish's textural contrast: The pasta was coated successful a thick, velvety food sauce, while the toasted breadcrumbs added conscionable the correct magnitude of crunch.

Overall, this look genuinely blew maine distant — it was the benignant of cozy, filling meal I'll beryllium craving arsenic the upwind gets cooler.

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