Want a quick and easy Mac n' Cheese that looks like you spent all day working on it?  This is the recipe.

Fancy-But-Easy Mac N' Cheese

red onion, diced

(16 ounce) package small pasta shells

salt and black pepper

garlic salt

butter

brown sugar

condensed cream of Cheddar cheese soup

Havarti cheese

Parmesan cheese

Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Place the diced onion in a large pot of lightly-salted water; bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain. Transfer the onion and pasta to a casserole dish; season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Stir the butter and brown sugar into the pasta mixture until the butter melts. Add the Cheddar cheese soup, Havarti cheese, Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup of Cheddar cheese; stir well. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese over top of the dish.


Bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes. Change oven setting to 'Broil' and cook until top is golden brown, about 4 minutes.


I made this recipe for a church gathering and everyone raved about it.  The only thing I changed was using less brown sugar.  Everyone said it was the best mac &amp; cheese they ever had!

I am sorry. This was down right awful. You are better off just sticking to making a cheese sauce via rue. Brown sugar does not go with cheese, and contrary to what other reviews may have said the cheese soup tastes very processed.

This was delicious! I usually don't like baked mac n' cheese, but this was perfect. I didn't use the brown sugar, as another reviewer suggested, and it was still fantastic! The best part about it for me was the fact that it didn't dry out when I reheated it for lunch. Also, I had never tried Havarti cheese before, so I was nervous about it, but I will definitely use the cheese and this recipe again!!!

This was a great recipe as is, but the second time I doubled the recipe, omitted the brown sugar, added green onion instead of red (no boiling)used up some monterey jack cheese with the cheddar and others, used 2 cans of lower fat cream of celery and 1 can of lower fat cream of chicken with the 2 cans of cheese soup.  I also added 1 cup of 1%milk.  I threw in a pound of diced up ham that was left over too.  My family ate it for lunch the next day and when it was almost gone they fought over the last batch.  Now I will keep the cupboards stocked with those soups! 

Hey there - I'm the creator of the recipe.  Thank you to everyone who have left a 5-Star review for me.  I guess I should have been clear in the recipe that I like things sweet - even cheese! I put sugar in my spaghetti sauce too. If you don't have a sweet tooth like me - use less sugar or no sugar - pretty simple.  I don't overly appreciate the people who have changed the recipe - omitting ingredients and then leaving me a poor review - it's not fair to make up your own recipe and then poorly grade mine - when it's not really my recipe that was created.  On a side note - condensed soup does have a processed cheese taste - I suppose that's the difference between a quick and easy mac n' cheese and a more advanced one - if you don't like processed cheese - please keep that in mind.  Again - thanks to everyone who have left postive reviews - they're greatly appreciated.  Who knew something I mustered up with things in my kitchen would be such a hit!!!Cheers!!!!

Delicious! I tried making the same recipe with Kraft Mozza Cheddar Shredded Cheese and it was amazing!!!

This was a great dish that my whole family enjoyed.  This was very cheesy but without overwhelming flavors. I did not need to broil it as the top was already starting to brown at the end of the 45 minutes. Will definitely make it again.  

SoOOO good, and super easy.  I found it really addicting and almost ate the entire thing myself throughout the day. A+

I really like this recipes! I had one small change, I used one can of cream of chicken because I didn’t have three cans of cream of cheese soup.  Not sure about the brown sugar, I think I’m going to leave it out next time. Still great!! 

Great!  Left out the brown sugar, and added some extra shredded cheddar.  Wonderful!

I loved this!!!!! And so did my kids, and thats what matters. A friend of mine recomended to half the amount of brown sugar, so i did.  it was wonderful. will be a regular in our house. Thanks so much for sharing:)

An decent base recipe, but I ended up having to make too many modifications for my taste.  Omitted the brown sugar entirely, used fresh garlic and a few other changes as well.

I'm always on the prowl for comfort food recipes and this is definitely amongst the simplest recipes for what the final outcome yields. The cheddar cheese soup saves you from having to make a roux and aside from shredding cheese, (which I think I have an aversion to) this recipe is requires very little labor. Additionally, this recipe is a fantastic start for adding customized options such as a can of diced jalapenos, which I recommend! The perfect complement to bbq chicken &amp; a crunchy, cool salad.

This is very good. I had a bunch of cheese I needed to get rid of from a party and put it in this dish. I didn't have the cheese called for, but a mix of pepper jack, colby and swiss and it was awesome. Whenever I have cheese that's gonna go south if I don't do something with it, I will make this. I left out the sugar and did not miss it. The base of cheese soup is much easier than making a roux. I had two cans of cheddar soup and one can of nacho soup and that was great. Everyone loved it.

I love this recipe!  I leave out the brown sugar like several other posters, add a little extra cheddar cheese, and my family devours it!  It is certainly not the most healthy recipe, so I only cook it once or twice a year, but we love it every time!

I cut this in half for just my small family. Cutting it in half, the recipe then called for 1 1/2 cans cheddar cheese soup. I used 5 oz. fat free plain yogurt than open a second can and only use half. I did double the cheese, used garlic powder instead of garlic salt (canned soup is salty enough on it's own) and I added a little homemade chicken stock, as the macaroni and cheese was REALLY thick. We like a creamier and wetter macaroni and cheese. This was good, but I think it was better with my additions. It also would have been better without the brown sugar. Good base recipe. The havarti was a nice touch. OH! I did throw in some cubed turkey ham at the last minute, as the request of my two younger boys.

I did not care for the brown sugar in this dish. I'd never serve this at any kind of party or event.

This was awesome! Everyone at the party I made it for raved! I left out the brown sugar-didn't think that sugar and sheese went well together. I chopped the onions really small as my family aren't really onion fans. Will definitely make again!

I made this last night for my poker game.  Everyone loved it, so easy and relatively inexpensive to make, (the havarti cheese was high). I will make it again.  I too was skeptical about the brown sugar but went with it, tho I didn't use as much as was called for, couldn't tell you how much I did use, I'm an old school cook rarely measure anything, but it worked.  They are already asking for it for next weeks game....

No one in my family cared for this mac &amp; cheese.  The brown sugar gave it a sweetness that did not compliment the dish.  I lost the taste of the cheese as it was overpowered by the sugar.

I just made this dish for a dinner party and it was a big hit.  I was worried about the "processed" taste from the canned soup (as someone else mentioned) but with all the other cheeses in it, it was delicious.  I only used 2 cans of soup because 3 seemed like a lot, but it can get dry, so I will use 3 next time. I also omitted the onion, and the brown sugar was subtle, not overpowering.  The combination of 3 cheeses was so tasty, and it was just as good the next day.  I would highly recommend this dish.

I have definitely had better mac n cheese. This tasted ok but the color seemed off. Very dull...I've seen mac n cheese that was a nice yelow color. Easy to make though.

The whole family loved it, even my food critic husband. I omitted the onions and sugar and it was still perfect. This is definitely a keeper!

this is a great recipe! I have made this recipe several times and always get great reviews- I omit the sugar and add fresh minced garlic to the mixture (two cloves) I have also made this a few times without the havarti and used whatever cheese I had in the fridge- still tastes great and is a fave not only with the little kids but the "big: kids as well!

It was way too sweet.  If you plan on making this, leave the brown sugar out or greatly reduce it.  No one in the family liked it.

A lot like Velveeta.  Next time I will save the money and just make it right out of the box.

This dish was delicious, but I made some changes. I took the advice of other reviewers and did not add any brown sugar and I used a white onion that I sauteed in the pan. I used Monterey Jack, Seaside Cheddar Cheese from Whole Foods, Parmesan, and Sharp Cheddar. I doubled this recipe so I used 3 cans of cheddar cheese soup, 4 cups of milk, and 1 cup of half-and-half. I used a lot more butter than was called for as well. This was the most talked about dish on Thanksgiving day! Great hit with the kids, great hit with the adults! And the perfect pasta to go with this dish is Cellantani, they are the big wavy pasta tubes. Thanks for the recipe Nadine!

This dish has been a hit for everyone I prepared it for! Even my future in-laws liked it who like Mom's (and usually only Mom's) cooking! It is a big hit for all the vegitarians in my family has well. I have added Turkey to it and Ground Beef, both with much success. I use about half as much brown sugar called for in the recipe and only 2 cans of the cheese soup, substituted for a bit more shredded cheeses! 

On the advice of a few other reviews, I omitted the brown sugar as well (I'm more of a savoury fan than sweet). I used white old cheddar to put into the mix and reserved a cup of orange old cheddar for the top (a cup because 1/3 isn't enough to coat it). I also mixed the cheese that was to go on top with bread crumbs and fried french onions (half of a can). I added dabs of butter on top to make it golden. Then I added more french fried onions at the end before serving.  I used Campbell's condensed cream of Cheddar Cheese soup. It's a touch on the salty side and there's MSG in it so there's no need to season with more salt. This was a big hit at home though. My husband said it was the best mac n' cheese he's ever had!

This was SOO good!  The husband thought it was a little too sweet but I thought it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  I added brown sugar ham and peas  and used captavi (sp?) to make it more like a meal.  The havarti and brown sugar really have a nice rich flavor.

I've made this for a number of BBQ events. To say it's a favorite among my colleagues would be an understatement. I showed up with a fresh batch at the 4th of July BBQ and word spread through the party like wildfire. The entire pan was empty in under 10 min. Now I'm "not allowed to come to BBQs without bringing this." I'm buying a bigger pan so I can make double batches.

Muenster can be used in place of Havarti.

Absolutely delicious.  Made this for a dinner party and there was barely any left...what remained was as good warmed up the next day!

I made this recipe last weekend and was not impressed with it at all.  I believe its the canned goods that completely ruin the mac and cheese experience and they taste extremely processed. My gf and I ate it because I made it but I will not be making this recipe again.

I have made this several times and each time was a big hit...I did half the brown sugar. Once I used generic soup...will not do that again. This was so good my sister put her steak away and had another serving of Mac and Cheese.

I made this for a cookout and it came out great.  I did use less brown sugar and instead of Havarti I used a sharp cheddar cheese.  Yum!  Everyone raved about how creamy it stayed after being reheated later in the night and wanted the recipe.  Will definitely make again!

This is an exceptional recipe.  It was very easy to prepare and the end result is always an empty casserole dish!

Easy and delicious.  I make this all the time, and people always rave about it.  I really like how the brown sugar tastes with the creaminess of the cheese.  I omit the onion because I don't find that it adds anything.  

This was ok but nothing special in my opinion, it was a little tasteless.

My family loves this recipe! I used a little less brown sugar and just regular cheddar cheese. I have made this many times and will keep making it!

Oh my Gosh, so good (and sooo easy!) My family loves this recipe, wouldn't change a thing!

This recipe was just ok...  I probably won't make it again.

We omitted the brown sugar for this recipe and took it to a potluck -- it won crowd favorite. I had to make it in advance so I popped it in the fridge for the day. When I pulled it out of the fridge, I put it in the oven cold and cooked according to recipe and it cooked perfectly. An easy recipe to make, a great dish to share and perfect to make in advance.

Very nice and cheesy! Will make again. Did not taste processed.

I make this for 50 people once or twice a year, and they love it. I did substitute an Italian cheese mix as I could not find the Havarti cheese.

This is great for kids, especially those that don't like sharp cheeses. I didn't put in the sugar and I used Mozz, but it came out well.  Kind of "velveta-y" but thats what kids like.  Not grandma's home made but it's great for the kids!

Fantastic--it's a huge hit with my friends. I liked the recipe a lot as-is, however, I took some advice from the comments to improve it. I tried only putting in about 2 tbsp of the brown sugar, and didn't add any more salt than the soup + garlic salt. Perfect!

It was good, but I wouldn't say its worth the trouble over good boxed mac and cheese.

I've made this multiple times for parties. I still use the brown sugar, but I cut it in half.. To counter the sweetness of the brown sugar, I add bacon. That sweet/salty combo adds a lot to the dish, I think!! I found that the pre-cooked bacon is best, it's less greasy and heats up nicely in the oven.

This is by far the best Mac n cheese recipe!!! I followed the directions, didn't change anything.  It's a crowd pleaser to be sure.

This was probably one of the best mac n cheese base recipes my family has ever tried.  Yes, I made a couple of changes but that was to personal likes (no onion, no brown sugar, added chicken bites that had been sauteed in olive oil and crushed garlic).  As a whole - it was creamy, filling, and tasted wonderful!  Thank you for sharing!

Didn't care for this recipe at all, not to mention the fact it was expensive to make with all the cheese in it. Wouldn't use it again.

This DELICIOUS! My mom and I recreated this without sugar, plus we added some bacon. Overall, I give it a five stars. My whole family loved it and we definitely plan on having this meal again.

Had this at a party a few years ago and love love loved it! Its always a big hit when I make it. Now we make a meal of it by adding ham to it and some bread crumbs on top. OMG! SOOOO GOOD!!

I have made this dish about 50 times. Each time I make it, our guests (especially kids) go crazy for it. I cut back on the brown sugar a little bit. Great "make ahead" for kids lunches at school.

fancy-but-easy mac n' cheese

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Cost: $3.36 /serving

Author : Nadine

Ingredients

Instructions

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