jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
If it were dry and non-creamy, that just sounds like bad macaroni and cheese.
You have to take into account a couple of things.
1. The pasta will continue cooking in the oven as it bakes because the pasta should not be completely cooked through when it goes in. It'll absorb moisture from the sauce as it finishes cooking in the oven.
2.The starch released from the pasta can also slightly thicken the sauce. I almost always hit my pasta with cold water in the colander when it finishes boiling to keep it from overcooking and to rinse off some of the starch. I only do this for baked macaroni and cheese to help with the final texture; no globs of pasta stuck together and sauce consistency is easier to control.
3. The breadcrumbs act as a moisture wick, pulling a little moisture up and then evaporating into the oven. I've noticed very dry mac and cheese when I accidentally make the crust too thick on top.
So, the solution is extra sauce and a thin crust on top. I usually put almost double the sauce of a traditional recipes call for and it comes out perfectly. I don't mind putting in extra cheese if the sauce needs it. In my opinion, good macaroni and cheese is ALL about the texture as long as you get the cheese flavor in there. I've had times where I cooked the pasta too much and just browned the crust under the broiler and you couldn't tell much difference from the baked one honestly.
Great tips!
I also use WAY more sauce than might make sense. It ensures a delicious creamy, cheesy texture.