CopycatSpices
Copycat Boston Market Mac and Cheese
Boston Market's mac and cheese is the ultimate creamy comfort food side — a velvety cheese sauce clinging to every elbow noodle, just like you remember.
copycat · boston-market · fast-food · side
🕑Prep10 min
🍳Cook20 min
⏱Total30 min
🍽Serves6
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- Pinch of paprika
Instructions
- 1.Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni according to package directions until just al dente — about 1 minute less than the package says. Drain and set aside.
- 2.Make the roux. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and nutty-smelling.
- 3.Add the milk. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook for 4-5 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 4.Melt the cheese. Remove from heat and add both cheeses in handfuls, stirring after each addition until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, and paprika.
- 5.Combine and serve. Add the drained macaroni back to the pot and stir until every noodle is coated in cheese sauce. Serve immediately while hot and creamy.
Copycat Boston Market Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Boston Market’s mac and cheese is the gold standard of fast-food side dishes. It’s not baked mac and cheese with a breadcrumb crust — it’s stovetop mac with a creamy, smooth cheese sauce that coats every noodle without being gloppy or greasy. The sauce is velvet, not paste.
The two-cheese approach is key: sharp cheddar brings the flavor punch, while mild cheddar keeps the sauce smooth and mellow. The dry mustard powder is the secret ingredient — you can’t taste it directly, but it amplifies the cheese flavor in a way that makes everything taste more cheesy.
Cheese Sauce Science
- Low heat for melting cheese. Remove the pot from heat before adding cheese. Direct heat makes cheese sauce grainy and oily. Residual heat melts it perfectly smooth.
- Don’t skip the mustard powder. It’s a flavor amplifier for cheese, not a flavor of its own. A quarter teaspoon makes the sauce taste twice as cheesy.
- Slightly undercook the pasta. The noodles absorb sauce as they sit. Al dente pasta plus hot cheese sauce equals perfectly cooked mac and cheese by the time it hits your plate.
Side-by-Side Cost
A side of mac and cheese at Boston Market costs about $5-6. This recipe makes enough for 6 generous servings at about $5 total — less than $1 per serving. It also reheats well: add a splash of milk and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each.
