Cajun Mac and Cheese
Cajun Mac and Cheese is a luscious, creamy baked mac and cheese recipe with bold, zesty Cajun flavors. This mouthwatering mac and cheese is the epitome of satisfying comfort food – especially if you’re a fan of spice!
Cajun Mac and Cheese Recipe
One of my most used homemade spice blends is my homemade Cajun seasoning. I just can’t get enough of the spicy, zesty, earthy and bold flavors that just a sprinkle adds to any dish it’s added to!
And since mac and cheese is always on the menu here, it was only a matter of time before I combined the two.
This Cajun mac and cheese features tender, perfectly cooked macaroni noodles coated in a thick, creamy and well-seasoned sauce. The final sprinkle of seasoning and extra cheese before baking puts this easy recipe over the top in terms of flavor and texture.
If you want a more traditional southern baked mac and cheese, you can check out my viral recipe here. Today’s mac and cheese recipe is somewhat simplified compared to that recipe because our southern mac and cheese tends to be something I make for special occasions, while this Cajun mac and cheese recipe is one that I want to be able to quickly whip up when the craving strikes.
Cajun Mac and Cheese Variations:
- use broth instead of water to boil the noodles
- swap out the Cajun seasoning for your favorite seasonings or add even more to the recipe – I often swap out Cajun for Creole seasoning
- add protein – chicken, sausage or shrimp would be my preferences
- swap out the combination of cheeses
- saute the cajun holy trinity (onions, bell peppers and celery) in a bit of butter and add to the recipe for some added veggies
- add a bread crumb topping by melting 2 Tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add about 1 cup of bread crumbs to toast until lightly golden before adding to your mac and cheese. I personally love crushing fried onions over my mac and cheese.
A few tips to keep in mind while preparing this Cajun mac and cheese:
- do not rinse your pasta after boiling – this removes the starch needed for the sauce to stick to the pasta
- shred your cheese yourself as pre-shredded cheese often uses ingredients to prevent clumping that also end up thickening your sauce and preventing the cheese from melting as uniformly
- to make this recipe gluten-free, swap the flour for cornstarch and use gluten-free pasta noodles
- to make a bread crumb topping, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add about 1 cup of bread crumbs to toast until lightly golden before adding to your mac and cheese. I personally love crushing fried onions over my mac and cheese.
- err on the side of under boiling the pasta so it doesn’t become mushy once added to the cheese sauce
- and same with baking – err on the side of under baking the pasta so that the cheese sauce doesn’t dry up
Can you freeze mac and cheese? You can freeze the cheese sauce on it’s own, but freezing with the pasta will result in a soggy, grainy mac and cheese. Freeze in an airtight freezer container and allow to thaw at room temperature before reheating and mixing with freshly cooked pasta. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
Since this recipe makes a ton of pasta, you may end up with leftovers. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. If the cheese sauce seems somewhat dry, add a few tablespoons of milk to add some moisture back in to the recipe.
Ingredients for X
- Elbow Noodles
- Milk
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Eggs
- Paprika
- Dried Basil, divided
- Cajun Seasoning, divided <– grab our homemade Cajun seasoning recipe
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Cheese (we used a mix of Colby Jack and Spicy Monterray Jack)
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: As always, I highly recommend tasting your recipe throughout the preparation process so you can correct over- or under-seasoning.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Saucepan
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
- Casserole Dish
How to Make Cajun Mac and Cheese
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish and set aside.
Cook the elbow noodles according to package directions.
While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the milk, heavy whipping cream and eggs until well-combined.
Beat in the paprika, 2 teaspoon of the basil, 2 teaspoons of the cajun seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.
Once the noodles are cooked, strain but do not rinse and add immediately into the milk mixture.
Add 4 cups of the cheese and stir to coat the noodles in the cheese-milk mixture.
Pour the mac and cheese mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
Top with remaining 2 cups of cheese and follow with the remaining 1 teaspoon each of basil and cajun seasoning.
Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the tinfoil and continue baking until the cheese is completely melted.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Grab your free printable recipe card for our baked Cajun mac and cheese recipe:
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Baked Cajun Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups Elbow Noodles
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil, divided
- 1 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning, divided
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 6 cups Cheese (we used a mix of Colby Jack and Spicy Monterray Jack)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish and set aside.
- Cook the elbow noodles according to package directions.
- While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the milk, heavy whipping cream and eggs until well-combined.
- Beat in the paprika, 2 teaspoon of the basil, 2 teaspoons of the cajun seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Once the noodles are cooked, strain but do not rinse and add immediately into the milk mixture.
- Add 4 cups of the cheese and stir to coat the noodles in the cheese-milk mixture.
- Pour the mac and cheese mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with remaining 2 cups of cheese and follow with the remaining 1 teaspoon each of basil and cajun seasoning.
- Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil and continue baking until the cheese is completely melted.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 605Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 1085mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 28g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this spicy baked mac and cheese recipe as much as mine does!
For more perfect pastas, check out our full pasta recipe collection here:
For more scrumptious side dishes, check out our full side dish recipe collection here:
