Overnight Mac and Cheese Casserole
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Overnight mac and cheese casserole is a delicious, easy recipe that’s prepped entirely ahead. It’s perfect for busy weeknights!
How was your Thanksgiving? I’m happy to say that mine was a big success — I even had time to sit down and enjoy the day here and there! The best part for me is that the leftovers are all gone and we’re back to eating regular food again.
I haven’t even begun thinking about Christmas cookies because I’m not in the mood for sweets yet, which is pretty strange for me.
I will tell you what I’m always in the mood for — cheese. Cheese is one of my favorite foods because not only is it delicious, but also because it’s the ultimate comfort food.
I especially love incorporating it into dishes during fall and winter because that’s when we really need our comfort food.
I began making a casserole like this right after I got married because I found the recipe in a little paperback cookbook that I picked up at the supermarket one day. I wasn’t the best cook then, and I loved how easy the recipe was.
That particular recipe called for condensed soup, which I really don’t use anymore, so I thought it would be great to make my own version of that casserole with a homemade bechamel sauce. And this version is even better!
Of course, this mac and cheese casserole recipe would be nothing without the cheese. 🙂
I use Kraft Natural Cheese often, and there are so many delicious varieties to choose from. The Mexican variety shown above is one of my favorites, because it’s two of my favorite cheeses in one.
I happened to find a large selection of Kraft Natural Cheese at my local Walmart store, and knew it was just what I needed for this baked mac and cheese casserole!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The casserole requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep work.
- This recipe is easily customizable and can be made with whatever veggies or protein you’ve got on hand.
- The best part about this easy mac and cheese casserole is that you can make the entire thing in advance!
Recipe ingredients
This overnight mac and cheese casserole is the perfect meal to serve your family or at gatherings because it’s guaranteed to make everyone feel warm and cozy inside.
I kept the ingredients list as simple as possible, because mac and cheese casserole shouldn’t need any special ingredients to make it taste good!
Ingredient notes
- Cooked chicken. This ingredient is optional, or it may be substituted with another protein of choice.
- Elbow macaroni. I know we’re making overnight mac and cheese casserole here, but you’re welcome to substitute another short, sturdy pasta if that’s all you have on hand.
- Peas. If using frozen peas, thaw them before mixing them into the casserole.
- Kraft Natural Grated Cheese. I used their Mexican cheese blend, but you may use any cheese you’d like.
- Panko breadcrumbs. These are much lighter and crispier than traditional breadcrumbs.
How to make this recipe
A homemade bechamel sauce is very easy to make, and requires only about 15 minutes of time. Who needs condensed soup?
- Start by melting your butter in the pan, then sprinkle in the flour and whisk it in.
- Whisk over medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells like shortbread, about 1 minute. This is the roux, which is the thickener for our sauce.
- From there, remove the saucepan from heat. Add 1/3 of the milk slowly while whisking constantly, until the mixture resembles a smooth paste.
- Whisk in the remaining milk and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sauce comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. The sauce will have reduced about 1/3 and will coat a wooden spoon.
- Pour the sauce into a large bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Add the elbow macaroni and stir until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. The next day — voila! You have the ultimate creamy pasta with no boiling required. 🙂
- Add your chicken (if using), veggies, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and stir. Place into a greased 9×13″ baking dish and spread evenly.
- Top with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs, pop it in the oven, and you get one cheesy, comforting dish that nobody will be able to resist.
I made this chicken mac and cheese casserole 3 different times within a 3 week period while testing this recipe, and it was always met with happy faces. The fact that it got better each time certainly didn’t hurt either!
Obviously the third time was the charm — this gloriously cheesy, comforting casserole before you just couldn’t get any better in my opinion. It’s soul-warming comfort food, it’s perfect for weeknight dinners because you can do everything in advance, and most importantly, it’s a hit with everyone.
FAQ’s
Yes, baked mac and cheese casserole can be frozen once it’s cooled completely. When ready to eat, you can reheat it from frozen or thaw overnight in the fridge first.
Of course! If you don’t eat chicken or don’t have any on hand, you’re welcome to omit it entirely.
Because the macaroni noodles are not cooked before being stirred into the sauce, you do need to let the casserole sit in the fridge overnight. This gives the pasta time to soften and soak up the bechamel sauce.
What to serve with this recipe
Serve this easy mac and cheese casserole with your favorite Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes.
- Spatchcock turkey
- Slow cooker ham
- Slow cooker stuffing
- Maple orange sweet potato casserole
- Slow cooker buttermilk mashed potatoes
- Arugula beet salad
Recipe notes
- I opted to add some leftover chicken breast to this recipe. You’re welcome to omit the chicken if you’re craving a classic homemade mac and cheese casserole!
- This recipe is perfect for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, or simply bake your chicken breast(s) in the oven with salt and pepper at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- The mushrooms and peas may be substituted with your favorite veggies.
More easy pasta recipes you’ll love:
- Stovetop mac and cheese
- Instant Pot chili mac
- Butternut squash mac and cheese
- Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
- Sausage and red pepper pasta
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Overnight Mac and Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups milk I used skim
- salt and pepper to taste
For the casserole:
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken breast (about 1 large breast)*
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms stemmed and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas thawed if frozen
- 2 cups Kraft Natural grated cheese divided (I used Mexican)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
Prepare the bechamel sauce:
- Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk until the roux is golden brown and smells like shortbread, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 1/3 of the milk slowly until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the remaining milk, and place back over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes. The sauce will have reduced by about 1/3 and will coat a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and pour into a large bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Once the sauce has cooled, add the elbow macaroni and stir until completely coated with the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight until the pasta has softened completely.
Saute the mushrooms:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms until browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thawed peas and saute 1 minute more. Remove from heat and store in an air tight container in the fridge until the next day.
Assemble the casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add the chicken, mushrooms, peas, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese to the pasta mixture and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
- In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter until coated, and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- *This recipe is perfect for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, or simply bake your chicken breast(s) in the oven with salt and pepper at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- The mushrooms and peas may be substituted with your favorite veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
44 Comments on “Overnight Mac and Cheese Casserole”
Cheese is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods, too! And when it comes to mac ‘n cheese, it’s pretty much the best! This overnight casserole looks just perfect, Marcie! I love the addition of chicken in here. What a perfect meal for the cold months ahead of us!
Thank you, Gayle! 🙂
I am SO glad you had a fabulous Thanksgiving, girlfriend! Mine wasn’t good, so I am glad you (hopefully) had enough fun for both of us! I am ALWAYS down to eat cheese, too and this casserole is a seriously delicious way to get my fix! LOVE how easy this creamy chicken mac and cheese is! Plus I really love that you added chicken, because I always need a little protein with my cheese. 🙂 Cheers, Marcie! <3
I’m truly sorry about your Thanksgiving and you’re in my thoughts, Cheyanne! There’s always to cheese to help comfort us when we’re down, right? Thanks, and I hope you’re having a good week!
So glad you had a nice Thanksgiving Marcie! Mine was great, too! I love mac and cheese and this casserole looks so good! Great idea to add chicken! Pinning!
Thank you, Mira! The chicken makes this more of a main dish, which I love!
So glad to hear your Thanksgiving was awesome. We had a nice quite time and had a wonderful week. It gets tough to get back to a routine after a week of relaxation;).
This looks so good dear, my boys would love to dig into this. So good to use leftovers here, perfect recipe.
It is tough getting back into the routine this week! Glad to hear you had a nice break, Ash, and hope you’re having a great week!
This casserole looks amazing Marcie! Love that you let the macaroni soften in the sauce overnight. Such a great idea!
Thank you, Christin! I’m all for finding short cuts and not having to boil the pasta was so nice! 🙂
This looks so creamy and totally delish! You’ve taken mac and cheese to the next level 🙂
Thanks so much, Medha! 🙂
I’m with you, Marcie! I’m always in the mood for cheese. 🙂
I love that you made your own bechamel in place of condensed soup. I can imagine it takes the creaminess of this casserole over the top while also giving it better flavor. Perfect comfort food for this unbearably cold weather we’ve been having! Brrr…
I’m glad you’re with me, Sarah! 🙂 I grew up on condensed soups and really just can’t do them anymore. haha And this is perfect for our cold weather — I’ve been living in my Ugg boots! 🙂
haha I feel the same way! I finally made a normal meal yesterday after eating all the leftovers and it was so nice to get back to the usual stuff! This casserole sounds delicious – and you know me – I can always always eat cheese! 🙂
Cheese makes the world go ’round! haha Thanks, Ashley!
You had me at cheese, ha ha! Love the looks of this one, Marcie, especially the ‘overnight’ part, how convenient is that!? Looks delicious!
Thanks, Denise! Isn’t cheese the best?! 🙂
So creamy and delish! Love trying new chicken dishes and especially when they involve cheese. Yum!
Thank you, Melanie! This was definitely a hit!
Mac and cheese is such an epic comfort meal for me! LOVE that this can be made ahead of time!
Thank you, Taylor! Convenience is everything this time of year! 🙂
This creamy mac and cheese looks SO GOOD!!!!!!! LOVE the cubed chicken breast!!!! I bet I could even add my leftover turkey or ham too right?! 🙂 love this!
Thank you, Alice! I did use leftover turkey breast in this once for my second recipe test, and I loved it! Ham or bacon would be so good too. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week!
I could probably live off of cheese, I eat it literally every single day in some way. This casserole looks like total comfort food! Love that you can make it ahead of time too, perfect for the busy holidays!
I eat cheese every day in some form too…I can never get enough. 🙂 Thanks, Danielle!
Thank you, Stephanie! The homemade sauce really made a difference! 🙂
You really can’t go wrong when mac & cheese is involved — I totally agree! Thanks, Dannii!
Oh man. You can never go wrong with a good creamy mac & cheese. This one looks phenomenal! And I love that you’ve got the chicken and a couple veggies in there to make it a meal. Looks delish!!
Thanks so much, Jess! 🙂
Okay, I’ve never heard of such a thing but it is BRILLIANT. I love easy recipes like this!
You’re too kind, Ashley! I did get the idea from an old recipe, so I certainly can’t take all the credit! haha
I love how easy this recipe is!! I know it would be a hit with the family, too!
Thanks, Jamie! 🙂
I’m always in the mood for cheese, too! And I love homemade mac & cheese….so this is looking REALLY good to me!
Thanks, Cathy! 🙂
Oh my gosh Marcie, this looks so comforting! I love mac and cheese recipes!
Thanks, Deb! They’re always a favorite around here!
I want to make this… By my family is concerned about mushy noodles.. I told them it who’d be fine since they are just absorbing the sauce. Your thoughts
The noodles aren’t mushy or my family would never want to eat this. They’re very creamy! I hope you get to give it a try, Lara. ?
I read your recipe. I have a question. You don’t cook the pasta, it softens in the sauce overnight? Looks and sounds delicious, except mushrooms, I don’t like mushrooms.
Hi, Tammy! You’re right — the pasta softens in the sauce overnight. And by all means leave out the mushrooms and add your favorite veggies!
Can his recipe be made by boiling the noodles to bake right away? Should I change the amounts of any ingredients if so? Thanks!
Hi, Bethany! You certainly can boil the noodles and bake right away. I would try making the recipe as-is — you just might have a bit too much sauce, but you don’t have to add it all. Without having tried this myself it’s hard for me to say for sure…sorry.