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Summer cookouts are fast approaching, and few side dishes please a crowd quite like a bubbling dish of baked mac and cheese.

This comfort food classic pairs perfectly with burgers, hot dogs, ribs, brisket, or grilled chicken at any barbecue.

Both Martha Stewart and Ina Garten offer baked mac and cheese recipes, leading me to compare them and find which belongs on your table. Though similar overall, one proved more affordable while delivering superior taste.

Here is a breakdown of how to prepare each version along with the final verdict on the better option.

Up first was Martha Stewart's creamy mac and cheese.

Martha Stewart's and Ina Garten's recipes share many elements, yet Stewart stands out by using four cheeses plus sauteed onions for extra depth.

I started by melting a few tablespoons of unsalted butter in a pot on the stove.

I selected a medium pot for preparing the cheese sauce.

While the butter was melting, I chopped some yellow onion.

The instructions require one quarter cup of diced yellow onion.

After the butter had melted, I added the yellow onion to the pot and stirred it. The smell of butter and onions quickly filled my kitchen.

Saute the onions until translucent, which takes roughly five minutes.

While the onions were cooking, I set about the somewhat grueling task of grating all the cheeses.

Hand grating required real effort, and exact measurements proved tricky so I approximated slightly. In the end I had the precise amounts needed for the sauce plus extra for topping before baking.

Next, I cooked the macaroni noodles.

The noodles cooked in about five minutes since they should remain slightly firm before baking.

After the onions had become translucent, I added the flour.

The flour quickly thickened the onion and butter blend. I stirred everything together and waited until the mixture started to bubble as directed.

I then added 3 cups of whole milk. The mixture was now starting to resemble a cheese sauce.

After several minutes the sauce had thickened nicely.

To finish the sauce, I added the four types of cheese - fontina, Gruyere, cheddar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano - and seasonings.

Once the sauce was smooth and fully melted, I combined it with the macaroni.

By the time I poured the noodles into the larger pot and added the cheese sauce, I had been prepping and cooking for about an hour.

The directions were straightforward, allowing me to relax once the dish was oven ready.

You can make the mac and cheese in individual pans or in a larger 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

After transferring the mixture to the baking dish I noticed plenty remained, enough for a second pan.

After 30 minutes in the oven, my mac and cheese was done.

The finished dish had a lightly browned crisp top while the pasta beneath stayed creamy and rich. It served four generously and could have fed more with the extra portions baked separately. The flavor was excellent with a subtle smoky note thanks to the onions.

Ina Garten's recipe for baked mac and cheese calls for fewer ingredients.

This version uses just two cheeses, extra sharp cheddar and Gruyere, which reduces both time and cost. To compensate for fewer cheeses it incorporates extra butter and milk compared with Stewart's approach.

The recipe calls for a whopping 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Reserve two tablespoons for later and begin by melting six tablespoons in a pot over low heat to avoid burning.

While the butter was melting, I started boiling the pasta.

Use one pound of macaroni or cavatappi and add a splash of oil to the water to prevent sticking.

I then added the hot milk to the flour and butter mixture.

Whisk until smooth. While off the heat I grated eight ounces of extra sharp white cheddar, which filled the whole package. Pre grated Gruyere saved time here.

After adding the two kinds of cheese, my sauce began to thicken.

Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Garten's seasonings mirror Stewart's except for the inclusion of cayenne.

Garten recommends boiling the noodles fully before putting them in the oven, rather than leaving them slightly al dente.

This marks another small distinction between the recipes. Once the noodles finished cooking I poured the sauce over them and stirred with a wooden spoon.

The cheese sauce in the Garten recipe was slightly thicker and had a distinct cheese pull.

I transferred everything to a baking dish and preheated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.