Mac & Cheese 💛🧀 bake with me

This Ultimate Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese I ultra cheesy, and incredibly creamy with a smooth homemade cheese sauce, and a golden bubbly topping. Made with a blend of cheddar, gouda, mozzarella and Colby jack, it’s the perfect comfort food side or main dish 🧀 📝 Full Recipe (step-by-step + tips): https://sagebakes.com/mac-cheese/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Preview 00:33 Prepare the Cheeses 01:03 Make the Roux 02:19 Add the Dairy 03:46 Add Seasoning 04:37 Add the Cheese 5:32 Cook the Pasta 05:44 Combine Sauce & Pasta 06:36 Assemble 07:58 Bake 08:30 Final Reveal 🧀 INGREDIENTS Pasta ▢ 450g (1 lb) cavatappi pasta (or large elbow macaroni) ▢ Salted water, for boiling Cheese Sauce Roux Base ▢ 85 g unsalted butter (6 tbsp) ▢ 1 tbsp minced garlic ▢ 4 tbsp all-purpose flour Dairy ▢ 480 ml evaporated milk (2 cups) ▢ 420 ml heavy cream (1¾ cups) ▢ 42 g cream cheese, softened (3 tbsp) Cheese Blend ▢ 200 g sharp cheddar, freshly shredded (2 cups) ▢ 150 g Colby jack or Double Gloucester, freshly shredded (1½ cups) ▢ 75 g smoked gouda, freshly shredded (¾ cup) ▢ 50 g mozzarella, freshly shredded (½ cup) Seasonings ▢ 2 tsp smoked paprika ▢ 1½ tsp dry mustard powder ▢ 1 tsp onion powder ▢ ½ tsp garlic powder ▢ ½ tsp white pepper (or black pepper) ▢ ¾–1 tsp salt, to taste ▢ ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ▢ ¼ tsp nutmeg Topping ▢ 200–250 g freshly shredded cheddar and Colby jack (about 2 cups) ▢ Optional: chopped parsley 💡 Baking Tip: Slightly undercook the pasta before baking so it stays perfectly tender and doesn’t become too soft once baked in the cheese sauce. ✨ CONNECT WITH ME 💌 Substack (bonus recipes + Monthly Baker’s Notes): https://open.substack.com/pub/sagebakes 📖 Blog / Website: https://sagebakes.com 📸 Instagram:   / sage_bakes_   🎵 TikTok:   / sagebakes_