✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Outback mac and cheese is the silky, cheesy penne from the steakhouse, made in one pot in 20 minutes. Velveeta gives the smooth sauce, and a cup of sharp cheddar gives it some actual cheese flavor.
How Do You Make Outback Mac and Cheese at Home? (Quick Answer)
Boil 8 oz penne until 1 minute short of done. Warm 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk until steaming, then melt in 8 oz cubed Velveeta and 1 cup grated sharp cheddar over low heat. Season with dry mustard, paprika and garlic powder, fold in the penne, and loosen with a splash of pasta water.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Keep the heat low once the cheddar goes in. Velveeta forgives a lot, but cheddar turns grainy the second the sauce bubbles.
Why You'll Love This Mac and Cheese
- Truly silky the sauce stays smooth even as it cools a little.
- One pot, no roux nothing to whisk, nothing to bake.
- Real cheddar flavor so it tastes like more than melted Velveeta.
- Twenty minutes which is less time than the wait for a table.
- Easy to scale double it for a holiday side and it holds well on low.
What Is Outback's Mac A Roo 'N Cheese?
Mac 'A' Roo 'N Cheese is Outback Steakhouse's mac and cheese, and Outback's own menu pages list it at 510 calories. Outback doesn't share an ingredient list, so everything here is built from how it eats: short pasta, a very smooth pale orange sauce, mild and a little sweet from the dairy.
My test for any copycat is simple: does it taste like the memory, can a home cook pull it off every time, and is there a shortcut that makes it easier? For this one, the shortcut is Velveeta and the upgrade is a cup of sharp cheddar.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Penne: the tubes hold the sauce inside them. Cavatappi or elbows work if that's what's in the pantry.
- Velveeta: this is what keeps the sauce smooth and stops it from breaking. Cubing it helps it melt evenly.
- Sharp cheddar: grate it yourself from a block, for flavor and a smooth melt.
- Cream and whole milk: half and half by volume gives you rich but not heavy. All milk works, the sauce is just thinner.
- Dry mustard: you can't taste it as mustard, but it wakes up the cheese. Don't skip it.
- Paprika and garlic powder: a tiny amount for color and depth. A pinch of cayenne is optional.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Grate your own cheddar. Bagged shreds are coated in starch so they don't clump, and that coating is what makes a sauce gritty.
- Warm the dairy first. Cheese dropped into cold cream sits in a lump and sulks. Steaming, not simmering, is what you want.
- Cheddar goes in last and slow. One handful at a time on low. The moment you get impatient is the moment it turns grainy.
- Save the pasta water. The starch in it loosens the sauce without thinning the flavor the way extra milk does.
- Undercook the penne by a minute. It finishes in the sauce and drinks some of it up, so it never goes mushy.
- Taste before you salt. Mum's rule, still followed here. Between the Velveeta and the cheddar, I rarely add any.
- Serve it fast or hold it low. It thickens as it sits. For a holiday table I keep it on the lowest heat and stir in a splash of milk right before serving.
For the full Outback table at home, bake a batch of my copycat Outback bread to go with it.
Outback Mac and Cheese
4
servings5
minutes15
minutes590
kcal20
minutesA copycat version of Outback’s Mac A Roo ‘N Cheese: penne folded through a silky sauce of Velveeta, sharp cheddar, cream and milk, seasoned with a little dry mustard and paprika. One pot, 20 minutes. Serves 4 as a side.
Ingredients
- For the Mac and Cheese
8 oz penne pasta, dry
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
8 oz Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated from a block
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika, plus more to finish
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the pasta water
- Optional Crumb Topping
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
- Boil the penne in a large pot of well-salted water until 1 minute short of the package time. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Pour the cream and milk into the same pot over medium-low heat and warm until steaming, about 2 minutes. Do not let it boil.
- Add the Velveeta cubes and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is completely smooth.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts before adding the next. Stir in the dry mustard, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne, then taste. The cheese is salty, so add salt only if it needs it.
- Fold in the penne and cook on low for 1 minute, until every tube is coated. Loosen with pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to cling.
- For the optional topping, melt the butter in a small skillet and toast the panko over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Spoon the mac into bowls, sprinkle with the crumbs and a pinch of paprika, and serve right away.
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Easy Variations
Once you have the base down, this mac is very easy to play with.
- Baked: pour it into a buttered 8-inch dish, top with the buttered panko and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, until bubbling at the edges.
- Bacon: fold in 4 slices of crisp, crumbled bacon at the end.
- Smoky: use smoked paprika and swap half the cheddar for smoked gouda.
- Spicy: add 1 tablespoon of hot sauce with the seasonings, or stir in diced pickled jalapenos.
- For a crowd: double everything and use a wide pot so the cheese melts evenly.
What to Serve With It
It's a steakhouse side, so it belongs next to something off the grill. Have a look at my guide to what to serve with steak for the rest of the plate, and start the meal with a bowl of my copycat Outback potato soup. A drizzle of my Outback honey mustard dressing on a side salad cuts through all that cheese.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of milk, stirring often, until it reaches 165°F. I don't freeze this one, because the sauce goes grainy when it thaws.
More Restaurant Mac and Cheese Recipes
If mac and cheese is your thing, I have more for you: the homestyle Cracker Barrel mac and cheese, the baked and bubbly Chick-fil-A mac and cheese, the tangy white cheddar Panera mac and cheese and Trisha Yearwood's crockpot mac and cheese.
You'll find plenty more in my copycat recipes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cheese is in Outback mac and cheese?
Outback doesn't publish the recipe, so nobody outside the company can say for sure. The smooth, mild, velvety sauce is what most copycat cooks get from Velveeta. I add sharp cheddar because I want a little more cheese flavor than Velveeta alone gives.
Is Mac A Roo 'N Cheese still on the Outback menu?
Outback's own location menus were still listing Mac 'A' Roo 'N Cheese when I checked in November, at 510 calories. Menus do vary by restaurant, so check your local Outback's page or app before you go.
Why is my mac and cheese sauce grainy?
Usually the sauce got too hot after the cheddar went in, or the cheddar was pre-shredded. Keep the heat on low, grate from a block and add it a handful at a time.
Can I make it without Velveeta?
Yes, but you need something to keep the sauce stable. Swap the Velveeta for 2 cups of mild cheddar plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch tossed through the cheese, or use American cheese from the deli counter. The texture is close, and the flavor is a bit sharper.
Can I make it ahead?
It is best right away, but you can make it up to 2 hours ahead and keep it on the lowest heat with the lid on. Stir in a splash of warm milk before serving, because the sauce tightens as it sits.
How do I reheat leftovers?
Warm it in a saucepan over low heat with a few tablespoons of milk, stirring often, until it reaches 165°F. The microwave works in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, but the sauce can split if you rush it.
