Mac and Cheese For A Crowd
Creamy and delicious this easy recipe for Mac and Cheese For A Crowd can be made in a roaster or large crock pots. A combination of cheddar and Velveeta cheeses makes this side dish irresistible!
If you are planning a party also check out our popular Fruit Salad for a Crowd recipe, Rice for a Crowd, and list of Graduation Party Food Ideas.
Mac and Cheese for a Crowd Recipe
This big batch recipe of easy and creamy Mac and Cheese is perfect for crowds at graduation parties, family reunions, holidays, church carry-ins or weddings.
With inspiration from our Crock Pot Mac and Cheese and Velveeta Sells and Cheese recipe that are super popular on Pinterest, this roaster recipe for a crowd of 50 – 100 is equally delicious! People rave about how good this recipe is.
I like to make it with our Ham In A Roaster. I’ve seen teenage boys heap their plate with this homemade mac and cheese and then pile it high with bbq pork. The pasta also goes great with sliders or smoked meat!
No roux required, just cook the pasta, add ingredients and stir several times to get a fantastic warm side dish.
After hearing how many people love our Cheesy Potatoes for a Crowd, Macaroni Salad for a Crowd and Green Beans for a Crowd, I knew this classic needed shared.
Ingredients Needed:
- Elbow macaroni or small shells
- Vegetable oil
- Butter
- Milk
- Evaporated milk
- Kosher salt
- Velveeta cheese
- Cheddar cheese
Make Ahead Mac & Cheese
The pasta can be cooked to al dente with the vegetable oil and butter stirred in. Store in a roaster liner or crock pot liner in the refrigerator for up to 2 days ahead of time.
For me the biggest challenge with making this ahead of time is finding the space in the fridge, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Allow additional cooking time for the pasta to warm up before the cheese can start to melt. Otherwise the directions can be resumed.
Be aware not to over cook the noodles or pile it too high as it can become smashed during the storage project. Also stir the butter and oil in very well to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
Macaroni and Cheese for 50
It takes about 3 pounds of pasta with more cheese, milk and butter to feed 50 people
This recipe can be doubled to feed 100 people. Be sure to use a large roaster with plenty of room to stir for the bigger batch.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Small shells also work well in this recipe.
- The consistency of this bulk mac and cheese will continue to change over time and as heat is applied; if it seems to runny keep cooking on low until it firms up.
- I find it easier to make double batches in multiple 7 or 8 quart crock pots than a roaster as there seems to be more variation in temperature and heating in a roaster.
- Use plenty of non-stick spray, plan to soak the roaster and have SOS pads ready to scrub the roaster pan clean.
- This recipe also tastes great with Velveeta only, but the cheddar does add so much more cheesy flavor.
- Have a firm, strong, long handled spoon ready to stir and serve the macaroni.
- An extra cup or two milk or can of evaporated milk can be added mid way through cooking if the mixture is getting too thick too soon. Stir well when adding!
How to Make Macaroni and Cheese in a Roaster
Cook pasta in heavily salted boiling water to al dente. Drain and pour into a generously greased roaster.
Add vegetable oil and cut sticks of butter into pats. Spread slices or pats of butter over top of the pasta and stir.
Add milk and cans of evaporated milk to the roaster and stir well.
Use a board scraper or large knife to cut process cheese into cubes. Sprinkle cubes over top of the macaroni in the roaster.
Stir up all that beautiful cheese!
Set roaster to 200°F. Cover and let cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir well.
Keep a small plate or dish nearby to rest your spoon on. Stirring often is the key to success in this recipe!
Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top and stir well.
Total cook time will be 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir every 30 to 45 minutes with special attention given to the corners, sides and bottom of the roaster.
When macaroni is close to being done or reaches your desired consistency turn roaster off if serving immediatley.
Turn to keep warm or the lowest setting possible and stir every 15 minutes if mac and cheese won’t be served for a while.
Leftovers And Reheating Instructions
When cooking for a crowd we always have some extra plastic containers to store leftovers since we never know how much will be eaten.
Storing in smaller containers with a few servings makes defrosting and reheating easier.
We do add milk and stir often while reheating in the oven if the macaroni and cheese needs a bit more moisture. Our family eats leftovers and enjoys them just fine, but this recipe does have the highest quality the first time it is prepared.
More Easy Big Batch Recipes:
Big Batch of Homemade Brownies is a great recipe to feed a lot of people and use up extra eggs.
Our Breakfast Casserole can also feed a lot of people and is fairly easy to prep for.
Our Alfredo Spaghetti is another great option to feed a big group at a party.
Banana Pudding For A Crowd has a dreamy vanilla pudding based filling that makes it so popular!
Mac and Cheese For A Crowd
Ingredients
- 3 pounds elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 sticks butter
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 72 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 72 ounces Velveeta cheese
- 2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in an extra large stock pot of boiling water. Cook to al dente and drain.3 pounds elbow macaroni
- Generously coat a roaster pan with non-stick cooking spray and add pasta.
- Add vegetable oil and slices of butter to the pasta and stir well.1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3 sticks butter
- Add milk, evaporated milk and salt. Stir well and turn roaster to 200°F.4 1/2 cups milk, 72 ounces evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- Cut Velveeta cheese into cubes and stir into milk and pasta mixture.72 ounces Velveeta cheese
- Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour; stir well.
- Stir in shredded cheddar cheese.2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese
- Continue to cook covered and stir every 20 – 30 minutes.
- Continue cooking until firm, about 2 hours total. Turn to keep warm to serve and continue to stir well.
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I’m a parent volunteer for our local homeschool co-op and we were doing a Kindness Matters lunch for about 150. I found this recipe and cooked servings for 75 in each roaster. It was the biggest hit! I had so many kids and adults alike coming back for more. I have now been asked to make it at several other functions.
Thank you for developing this and making it easy to adjust serving size!! It made it so much less stressful.
This is so great to hear! And so KIND that you took the time to share 🙂 Thank you!!
I s there away I can make small batch in my crockpot? We had this at a fund raiser. My husband fell in love.
Hey There! Thanks so much for sharing this! Yes – we have a super popular crock pot version here: https://plowingthroughlife.com/crock-pot-mac-and-cheese-farmhouse-style/ Hope you all enjoy 🙂 ~Jennifer
Do you have any tips on substituting gluten free pasta? I have found that gluten free noodles turn into a rice texture in slow-cooked Mac and cheese recipes. Thanks!
Hey There! Thanks for asking! I’m sorry to say that I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free noodles. That might be good to tryh in a smaller batch in this recipe: https://plowingthroughlife.com/crock-pot-mac-and-cheese-farmhouse-style/
If you give it a try please let us know how it goes. Thanks!
I was searching for a bulk mac and cheese recipe to use for CJ’s grad party, and I ran across yours, Jennifer! It worked out perfectly. I “marinated” the pasta in the oil, butter, evaporated milk and seasonings for a couple hours while we were at graduation, added the cheese when we got home, turned on the roaster, and it was perfect in 2 hours. I also added some black pepper, dry mustard and smoked paprika. Everyone raved about it. Of course, we served it with pulled pork sliders 😉
We used this recipe for a recent party. We had two 18 quart roasters and made 1.5x the recipe in each. It was to the top (but not quite spilling). We used roaster bags and had no issues with them. It does make a TON. We had a lot of other food left over and the party was mid afternoon (not over a meal-time), but I would say you could easily get 75+ servings out of a recipe. Keep stirring and adding milk to get the consistency you want.
This was a big hit at my grandson’s graduation party. I will share that the stated recipe will be sufficient to feed a large serving for 50 people.
Made this for my daughter’s graduation open house and it was a HUGE hit and was asked by several people for the recipe 🙂
So glad the recipe was a success! Thanks so much for sharing!!
If cooking in an oven do I still use that low tempture and time?
Hey There – Yes, I think similar times and temps can be used, but keep in mind this recipe was developed in an electric roaster and stirring often is necessary whatever the appliance. I would keep an eye on it and adjust as needed. Hope you enjoy!
This was a huge hit at my son’s graduation party!! People loved it!
This is the best mac and cheese and I wanted to leave a comment because we are a gluten-free family and I have made it several times with gluten-free pasta. Here are my tips! Use tinkyada pasta, it stays quite firm and won’t turn to a mushy paste. Cook the pasta for exactly half the amount of time it has on the package. We have made this for get-togethers and for neighbors having babies and no one has even known it was gluten free.
If you want to freeze it, put it in aluminum pans immediately after adding the shredded cheese. Wrap it up and freeze it, then thaw it in the fridge and reheat it in the oven, It’s not even mushy!
Thanks so much for sharing this tip and for your kind words! We’re so glad that you enjoy our recipe! ~Jennifer
Would this be good to make today and serve tomorrow for lunch? I saw your greens beans say best day of, trying to figure out the best way to do this. My husband wants to take your mac, green beans, and coleslaw to work tomorrow for his employees for lunch!
Hey There! We love all of these recipes! They are designed for really big batches. If you’re looking for one idea I would recommend the roaster or similar Crock Pot Mac and Cheese here on our website. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Forgive me if this has been answered already, but what temperature should the roaster be set to?
Hey There! Thanks for asking! Set the roaster to 200°F – there’s a recipe card at the bottom of the page with all of the exact details. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! ~Jennifer
Do you know if I could substitute coconut oil for the vegetable oil?
Hey There! The purpose of the oil is to keep the pasta from sticking together, so I think a different mild flavored oil would work fine. Hope you enjoy!
Can I do this recipe with un-boiled noodles? If so how much extra liquid and how much extra time?
Hey There! I imagine it’s possible, but I haven’t tested it. With the variability in my own roasters I think it would be tricky to determine the cooking time and an added challenge to get the recipe done at the right time to serve. If you choose to give it a try I would add chicken broth for the noodles, not sure how much. Hope it goes well and hope you enjoy!
Did you try using the uncooked noodles? I brought everything with me to work to make for football team tonight and just realized I was suppose to cook noodles first. Which I did not do. ugh
Could you give me this recipe for a family of 3?
Hey There! Here’s a crock pot version we enjoy, you can easily cut it in half using the little tool in the recipe card. Hope you enjoy 🙂 https://plowingthroughlife.com/crock-pot-mac-and-cheese-farmhouse-style/
I came across this recipe last year when deciding on a meal for a fundraiser dinner at my church. I had SO many positive compliments that I am returning to it in a few weeks to serve with Meatloaf & Baked Beans. It is so creamy & comforting!! Winner!!
Made this for a graduation party and it was awesome!
I made this for a graduation open house and people were saying it was the best mac and cheese they’ve ever had. I made 2 roasters full and it was delicious the entire time. I did end up adding a little milk to the first batch when it was almost gone. That roaster heated a bit hotter and with the lid off it started to get a little “sticky”, but the milk smoothed it out and made it amazing all over again! I served about 200 people and had about 1/3 of the second roaster left over, so I shared leftovers with my family and kept the rest. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing this! So glad the recipe worked well for your party 🙂
Do you know how large the roasters were that you used? Many thanks!
Hey There! I’m not sure the exact size of this roaster, but I think at least 18 quarts. Hope the recipe works well for you!
Will this fit into a 6qt ninja slow cooker?
Hey There! I don’t think so, but a double batch of this similar recipe should – hope you enjoy 🙂 https://plowingthroughlife.com/crock-pot-mac-and-cheese-farmhouse-style/
We made this for a graduation party and I was worried the noodles would expand before the party but the didn’t. I made the noodles aldenta rinsed it with cold water. I made the cheese and milk mixture on the stove top and poured it over the cold noodles with oil . Then put the roaster in the fridge. Warmer it the next morning for the party and it was perfect. Noodles didn’t expand or break apart and tasted great!We received so many compliments on this Mac n cheese! I have been asked for the recipe for by so many people.