ReelsMeals
RecipesDishes
Sign inStart cooking
  1. Home
  2. Recipes
  3. Dinner
  4. Overnight Mac & Cheese

Overnight Mac & Cheese

Recipe by Erin O'Brien on InstagramAdded 6 November 2026.
  • 50 min
  • Serves 6
  • 9 ingredients

20 minutes to prep, 30 to cook. This Overnight Mac & Cheese lets you prep the creamy pasta a day ahead, then simply bake it for a golden, cheesy crust. A blend of Gruyère and white cheddar gives a rich, tangy flavor, while a buttery breadcrumb topping adds a satisfying crunch. Perfect for a comforting dinner with minimal effort on the day of serving.

Free. No account needed.

Ingredients

6 servingsMetric

Breadcrumb Topping

Amounts as Erin O'Brien gives them. Metric converts supported weights and liquids, and oven temperatures; spoon measures and counts stay as written.

Method

  1. 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, then drain.

  2. 2

    In a large glass bowl, combine the heavy cream, grated Gruyère, grated white cheddar, ground nutmeg, and a generous grind of black pepper; stir until the cheese begins to melt.

  3. 3

    Grind freshly ground black pepper into the cheese‑cream mixture.

  4. 4

    Add the cooked pasta to the cheese‑cream mixture and toss to coat evenly.

  5. 5

    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

  6. 6

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (350°F). Grease a baking dish with a little Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter.

  7. 7

    In a separate bowl, mix the melted Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter with the fresh white breadcrumbs until the crumbs are lightly coated.

  8. 8

    Transfer the chilled macaroni‑and‑cheese mixture to the prepared baking dish.

  9. 9

    Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumb topping evenly over the surface.

  10. 10

    Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Tips while you cook

Chill before baking
Cover the cheese‑pasta mixture and refrigerate overnight before baking.
Grease the baking dish
Grease the dish with butter before adding the chilled mixture to prevent sticking.
Even cheese coating
Toss the cooked pasta with the cheese‑cream mixture before chilling for uniform coverage.
Add topping just before bake
Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumb topping over the mac and cheese right before baking for a crisp crust.

Notes from ReelsMeals, based on this recipe's ingredients, times and method. They are not the creator's instructions.

Made it?

Tap a star to rate it. Ratings help other cooks decide what to make next.

Rate this recipe

What cooks said

No comments yet. Cooked it? Be the first to say how it went.

Watch Erin O'Brien make it. The video loads from Instagram when you tap.

Erin O'Brien made this.

The recipe comes from Erin O'Brien’s Instagram reel. ReelsMeals wrote it down from the caption and the voiceover. Check the original if something looks off, and for anything about allergens.

Are you Erin O'Brien and want this changed? Email [email protected].

Share or print it

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Email
Credit or embed it on your own site

More dinner recipes

  • Blue Apron Meal Kit Trio: French Onion Soup, Chinese Chicken Salad, and Butternut Squash Rosemary Gnocchi

    Brooke Carson · 50 min

  • Mississippi Pot Roast

    Brooke Carson · 8 hr 20 min

  • Shrimp Stir Fry

    Vimarsh Patel · 20 min

  • Chickpea Pasta with Cauliflower Bolognese

    Donal Skehan · 35 min

    • Dinner
    • Comfort food
    • Pasta
    • Vegetarian
    • Recipe scaler
    • Cups to grams converter

    Saved hundreds of reels like this one? ReelsMeals brings your whole Instagram saved folder into one cookbook. See how

ReelsMeals is a cookbook for the recipes you save from videos, websites and paper cards. Each recipe links back to the person who made it.

Recipes

  • Browse recipes
  • Dishes compared
  • Cooking techniques
  • Creators
  • Tags
  • Supported sites
  • Recipe index data

Save from

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube Shorts
  • Paper recipes

Free tools

  • Oven temperature converter
  • Cups to grams converter
  • Recipe scaler
  • Air fryer converter
  • Baking pan converter
  • Ingredient substitutes
  • All tools

Compare

  • vs Paprika
  • vs Pestle
  • vs Mela
  • vs ReciMe
  • vs Crouton
  • vs AnyList
  • All comparisons

ReelsMeals

  • For AI assistants
  • Blog
  • About
  • Support
  • Follow Mike
Back to top

[email protected]

Privacy · Terms · AI disclosureRecipes stay credited to their creators© 2026 ReelsMeals, a Groceri company

ReelsMeals