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Please bear with me as my offering is really more non-recipe than recipe, but I hope it's helpful. Raising 3 sons, I've made obscene quantities of Mac and Cheese over the years. I often use it to help clean out the fridge lol.

Pasta -

If I'm making dinner for now, I'll use a 1 lb box. If I want a shot at having leftovers, 2 lbs. My FAVORITE pasta for M&C is radiatori as it has lots of surface area to coat with cheese, but almost any pasta will work.

I'm assuming you can boil pasta in salted water but even if you screw this up a bit, we can adapt. If you're planning on a baked M&C try to pull the pasta when it still has a slight chew to it. But if you overcook the pasta a little, just sauce that shit and eat it. Who cares - you're still eating mac and cheese!

Cheese sauce -

As an easy foundation for sauce, I'll whisk a couple fat tablespoons of flour into 2-3 cups of milk (whole, skim, whatever) and heat it on the stove. I'm just looking to create a thickened base for the cheese, so heat till bubbling for a minute then back way off the heat. I usually stir with a flat whisk, but use whatever - just make sure you're keeping this from burning to the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

As for cheeses, this is where I clean out my fridge. The ONLY cheese that I've found that gets weird is if I add goat cheese (completely changes the texture) but otherwise a couple cups of just about anything works. Just be mindful of stronger flavored cheese so you don't create something overwhelming. Lately I've been using colby (got a few cases of it from the food bank) but I've also used combinations of sharp/mild cheddar, mozzarella, monterrey jack, pepper jack, asiago, parmesan, velveeta, American, or smoked gouda. It's dangerously rich and kinda cheating, but a little cream cheese, ricotta, or blended cottage cheese will make this a "guilty as hell" pleasure. I prefer to turn the heat off when I add the cheese as insurance so it doesn't overheat as some cheeses may break. If you have chunks of cheese, you can always throw the lid on and let it sit with the heat off to soften, then give it another stir.

Options -

Seasonings - we like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Paprika and mustard also have their place. How about some hot sauce or sriracha?

Feeling fancy? Caramelized onions, leeks, mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers all work well. You can also chuck in other frozen or fresh veggies (I'll throw little things like peas or corn in with the pasta RIGHT before I drain it just to thaw it so it maintains its quality, but otherwise cook your veggies first.) I've even used sauteed zucchini or cherry tomato halves.

Need a protein? Ground/chopped cooked meats, shredded chicken, tuna, bacon, diced and fried spam, sausages, hot dogs, lunch meat... again - a great way to stretch left overs and clean your fridge! A bit of pulled pork is AMAZING.

Toppings - Even is you don't bake it, a little something sprinkled on top for texture can be a wonderful thing. Anything from buttered breadcrumbs, crushed potato chips/cheeze-its, and the ever amazing French's Fried Onions is delicious.

I'm not sure if I've ever made the same M&C twice. Just taste for seasoning as you go and don't sweat it! It's kinda like sex with a new person. Even if it's not perfect the first time, you still had sex and can JUST DO IT AGAIN!

EDIT - One more thing! This is my favorite pan for baking M&C. You can start with a base recipe, and make 3 different variations for picky eaters :D .