"It was awesome! I did not need to cover it, I used Ina's trick of placing a deep dish baking pan on the rack below the mac filled half way with water so it kind of works as a steam. Ina's trick is for meatloaf. I love this recipe! My husband and son do too! I have a bit of a dairy problem so I used Tofutti Sour Cream, unsweetened soy milk, and Earth Balance instead of butter. I did use real shredded cheddar (word to the wise: Always shred your own, the pre-shredded never melts the same because it's coated with an anti-clotting powder). Anyway, the next night, we had it for dinner, only the mac and cheese. It needs no friends on the table. They'd just be neglected anyway. Haha! Great and easy recipe!!