Introducing MaCorenia & Cheese — How to Make the Best Macaroni & Cheese

coreniabug
Nov 27, 2025
3 min read

Presenting MaCorenia & Cheese — The Ultimate Transformation of Macaroni & Cheese

A chef, CoreniaBug, proudly presents a freshly baked tray of her "Famous MaCorenia & Cheese," showcasing a golden, crumbly top, ready to delight taste buds.

If you thought macaroni and cheese reached its final form, buckle up — because CoreniaBug just rolled into the kitchen and made it legendary.

Welcome to MaCorenia & Cheese, my signature, elegant, creamy, melt-right-into-your-heart twist on the classic comfort dish we all grew up with. It’s rich, it’s smooth, it’s ridiculously cheesy, and yes… it will absolutely change your life in one bite.

This dish isn’t just food — it’s an experience. The kind where your soul smiles, your belly sings, and you start side-eyeing all other mac and cheese recipes wondering where they went wrong. And trust me… this one went very right.

MaCorenia & Cheese

CoreniaBug’s elegant twist on classic macaroni & cheese

Ingredients

Pasta & Sauce

1 pound box medium shells
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups half-and-half
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup unsalted butter (for the sauce)
4 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar
2 cups shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar (Cabot spelled C-A-B-O-T)
½ rounded tablespoon salt
½ rounded teaspoon black pepper
¼ rounded teaspoon smoked paprika

Crust

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Boil the medium shells according to the box, drain, drizzle with a little olive oil so they don’t stick, and set them in a cold water bath while you prepare the cheese sauce.
Make the cheese sauce. In a large pot over medium heat, melt ½ cup unsalted butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes (this removes the raw flour taste). Slowly pour in the half-and-half and whole milk—room temperature works best—while whisking continuously. Cook until slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Turn off the heat and gradually stir in the shredded cheeses a little at a time until fully melted and smooth.
Combine with the noodles. Drain the noodles from the cold bath and fold them into the cheese sauce until everything is coated.
Layer in the baking dish. Pour half of the cheesy noodles into your baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of cheese. Add the remaining noodles and finish with another sprinkle of cheese on top.
Add the crust. Crush one full sleeve of Ritz crackers. Mix the crushed crackers with ¼ cup melted unsalted butter until evenly coated. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top. (Using a large pan gives you more surface area — more surface area = more crust!)
Bake. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes.
Broil. Switch to low broil and broil for about 3 minutes, just until the top turns golden brown and crisp.
Enjoy! Serve warm and bask in the glory of your elegant, signature MaCorenia & Cheese.

Golden-brown and bubbling, this creamy baked mac and cheese showcases perfectly cooked pasta shells enveloped in a rich, melty layer of cheese, topped with crispy breadcrumbs for added texture.

Watch the MaCorenia & Cheese Video Here

🎥 Watch the full video of me making MaCorenia & Cheese here: 👉 https://youtu.be/I7t6rXe9Ryo

This video has everything — the recipe, the laughs, the chaos, and all the cheesy goodness your heart can handle. If a cooking show and a dad joke had a baby, this would be it.