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Cottage cheese, sour cream and Velveeta come together to make the richest, creamy macaroni and cheese. You’ll love the cheddar cheese and crispy bread crumb topping!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

OK, friends. Today I’m sharing with you a recipe that has been a family favorite since we’ve been married. We love trying out new recipes and creating our own, and so many meals that were really good get lost in the shuffle. But a few are so good that they stand the test of time. This Rich and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is one of those recipes.

I can remember finding this cheesy macaroni recipe when we were first married. We’d make a pan of this and it would feed us for almost a whole work week. Cooking one meal and having it last 4 or 5 meals? Those were the days. Then little kids came into the picture. At first, they didn’t like this homemade mac ‘n cheese. They preferred the boxed variety or our at times were ok with our Instant pot mac and cheese. Go figure.

Then the kids grew up and suddenly they think homemade macaroni and cheese is pretty great. And this big batch of cheesy goodness lasts us two meals at best.

A close up of a plate of pasta and cheese,

My favorite part of this mac ‘n cheese is the combination of the rich, creamy cheese sauce covering the macaroni, paired with the crunchy topping of bread crumbs and cheddar cheese. It’s simply fantastic. The kids today prefer the creamy bottom layer to the crunchy topping, so I gladly take their topping and add it to mine.

Macaroni and Cheese with Three Cheeses

What makes this casserole so creamy? It has Velveeta, cottage cheese and sour cream. Don’t worry, though. If you don’t like sour cream or cottage cheese, you won’t taste it in there. If you’re worried about the texture of cottage cheese, you can run it through the food processor to make it smooth, but it is definitely not necessary. It all bakes together nicely. The combination of those three ingredients make this the richest and creamiest macaroni and cheese ever!

You may also love our hamburger macaroni casserole and hamburger mac and cheese dinner.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

4.61 from 41 votes

Three types of cheeses come together to make the richest, creamiest macaroni and cheese ever.

Servings 10 servings

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

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Ingredients

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta cheese cubed
1-1/3 cups cottage cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces) divided
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain the macaroni and place it in a greased 9×13 baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add in the flour, salt and sugar, then stir until smooth.
Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to low.
Stir in the Velveeta cheese until melted.
Stir in cottage cheese, sour cream and 1 cup cheddar cheese until melted.
Pour the cheese mixture over macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.