My [In]Famous Mac and Cheese Recipe

I was asked for my recipe for mac and cheese, and since it’s Thanksgiving, I thought I would post it here. I make this old-fashioned mac and cheese casserole at holidays on on birthdays for family and friends. I don’t make it very often, not because it’s difficult, or all that expensive, but simply because it is absolutely terrible for you. This isn’t creamy mac and cheese, it’s a dense baked pasta that you slice, similar to lasagna.

So make this recipe at your own risk!! Also eat small portions, and maybe have a salad or some other green vegetable along with it. I have seen family members bemoan their wrecked digestive systems as they cut another helping. This dish can quickly shift from comfort food to discomfort food. You’ve been warned 🙂

You will need:

a large pot and

a large casserole dish (4 qt.) with aluminum foil OR

a 5 qt or larger dutch oven (you can boil the macaroni and then bake it in the same dish, but placing the pan lower in the oven will mean a browner outside)

a colander

1 box of elbow macaroni, 16 oz. in size

2 bags of shredded cheddar cheese, 8 oz each

1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, 8 oz in size

1 stick of butter or margarine, 4 0z

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

garlic, salt, and pepper to taste

optional: non-stick cooking spray

To prepare:

Preheat the oven. If you like brown/burnt cheese set it to 300 degrees if you prefer stringy/gooey cheese set it for 250 degrees.

Boil the macaroni until slightly over done, this keeps the pasta from getting dry and chewy when you bake it.

Drain the macaroni thoroughly with a colander, then return to pot immediately. If you are using a pot and a casserole dish, I recommend using the pot and not the casserole dish for this step. If you are using a dutch oven, I recommend melting the butter in the pan and making sure it coats the sides of the pan, or just spraying the pan with non-stick cooking spray before putting the macaroni in.

Add  the stick of butter and stir until the butter is melted and the pasta is coated. If your mac went cold during the draining process, you can put the pot on low heat to help the butter along.

Add the salt, pepper, and garlic. Keep in mind that the cheese is salty, and your butter might also be. Personally, I skip the salt, but don’t be shy with the garlic 🙂

Add the whole bag of mozzarella cheese to the now buttered and seasoned macaroni and stir until evenly distributed. I used to layer cheese and macaroni, but i don’t think it made much difference in the finished product.

Now is the time to talk cheddar. If you are looking for a thick browned layer of cheese on top of the casserole, you can skip this step. However, if you want a more uniform cheese experience (with the occasional crunchy macaroni noodle on the top) add one whole bag of the shredded cheddar cheese and stir it into the macaroni. If you can’t decide, just add half a bag of cheddar (4 oz) and stir it in. Be confident in your decision, it’s hard to mess up a recipe with this much cheese in it.

If you need to use cooking spray on a casserole dish, now is a good time to spray it. Non-stick measures are important, because for some folks, that crunchy brown outside is the best part.

Transfer the macaroni to your casserole dish and spread it evenly.

Now is an important step that I forget all the time. In a small bowl or measuring cup beat your eggs and milk thoroughly. The resulting mixture should look like something a bit too runny for making scrambled eggs or french toast. If you find your macaroni is dry, use more milk next time. Drizzle the egg mixture over the macaroni making sure to distribute it evenly. Most of it is going to run to the bottom, which is what you want.

Now is the time to add the cheese. Dump all the cheddar you have on top of the macaroni and spread it across the top, making sure to cover the corners. In our house, people would fight over the corner pieces, so I have taken to using the dutch oven. Make sure the cheese gets to those edges though. that’s the good stuff.

Also, if you are just now realizing you forgot the egg and milk mixture, you can add it now, just make a few holes in the cheddar layer and pour the egg mix in. Then carefully tilt the pan to each corner to distribute, being mindful that you are holding almost 3 pounds of slippery noodles and shredded cheese.

If you find that your mac and cheese comes up over the top of dish a bit, it’s OK. It will settle into the pan a bit as it cooks. If your lid/foil will be touching the cheddar be sure to spray the inside with cooking spray. Don’t use a lot, it can go brown and leave a weird taste on the cheese.

Cover the pan with a glass lid or aluminum foil. Remember to spray the inside if it will touch the cheese.

Now it’s time to bake. Cooking times can vary. If you are looking for brown cheese, bake it at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. If you are looking for gooey cheese, bake it at 200 to 250 degrees for 40 minutes. Either way, you should hear the mac and cheese bubbling.

Once you can hear the mac and cheese bubbling, uncover the mac and cheese and cook it until the top reaches your desired brownness. This can be as little as 10 minutes or as long as 20, so check it every 5 just to be safe.

I have no idea how many people this dish serves, but it’s a lot. It also reheats well, and is even good cold.

I have tossed around the idea of using spinach and tomatoes in this dish to make it slightly healthier (or at least help me not feel so guilty about serving it to my family) but the family always talks me out of it.