Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Its just about a requirement that all Americans love macaroni and cheese in some form and at some time in their lives, I’m no different. Growing up, my mother made a creamy homemade mac and cheese with a sauce that was smooth as silk and permeated every particle of perfectly cooked macaroni. It was my brother’s favorite so she usually made it every Sunday.
As a teen, we all became well acquainted with the boxed stuff, thrilling over the marvel and convenience of the powdery sauce which combined with milk to deliver the ideal after school snack for three busy young people on the go.
After I had my own kids, however, I quickly learned why my mother seldom ate Mac and Cheese. My kids loved it so much that I got burned out just from stirring those countless pots of pasta.
Then a few years ago I realized something – I missed my mac and cheese. I needed to reacquaint myself with it. While my mother’s mac and cheese is to die for, I longed for a stringy, cheesy, casseroley, version in my adult years. Something as far from the boxed stuff as I could get without introducing things my children would consider “weird”. Voila, Baked Macaroni and Cheese was born.
Those of you who subscribe to my email newsletter will receive an added bonus at the end of this week because I am also sending you my mother’s macaroni and cheese recipe as well as this one in my weekly recipe email!
. 2 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 1/2 T flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
Pepper to taste (I use about a teaspoon)
4 T margarine
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
Cook pasta until tender, drain. Mix all dry ingredients together, set aside. Spray oven safe bowl or dish with cooking spray. Place half of macaroni inside. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over top and top with half of the margarine, sliced into small slices. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over. Repeat. Pour milk over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for thirty five minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional ten minutes. Serve hot.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy lives to read Southern Plate! I want to especially thank you for all of your comments and emails! I am usually a little behind on responding (so I can keep getting more recipes up and posted!) but I read every single one of them and always respond as soon as I can. You are all such incredibly wonderful people and I appreciate all of the extraordinary kindness you have and continue to show me!
Gratefully,
Christy
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Oct 29 2008. Filed under Side Dishes.
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ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! This was my 1st time making baked macaroni and cheese and this will be the only recipe I ever use!! Man oh man this is good!! Thank you so much!!!
I have to watch my fat intake due to high cholesterol, so I tried this recipe at Christmas using skim milk, fat free cheddar cheese, and light vegetable oil spread. I know there are a lot of traditionalists out there who think comfort foods like this are ruined if you don’t use high fat ingredients, but I’m telling you this turned out beautifully and tasted great! My extended family (who are typically skeptical of anything “healthy”) loved it and happily took home left-overs. My son who was not a mac & cheese lover (either from the box or from scratch) ate it up like crazy and complained that I sent too much of it home with the relatives! He’s asked for this multiple times since, and I’m making it for him tonight, so he’s eagerly awaiting dinner! By the way, I also froze some of the left-overs at Christmas in individual servings as an experiment, and they thawed and reheated just fine in the microwave. Definitely a keeper recipe at my house!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried for years to find a good make ahead recipe for mac and cheese and this was perfect!!! I used corkscrew pasta(which was really fabulous) and doubled the recipe into a large disposable pan. I finished the recipe all but the addition of the milk. Placed plastic wrap over the pan and refrigerated it until the next afternoon. Took it out of the fridge heated my milk almost to a boil and poured it overtop the mixture and added about 10-15 extra minutes to you cook time. It was AWESOME and so great to be able to make ahead of time!!!
Well I’ll be darned. I’ve never heard of, nor made, a baked mac & cheese recipe that didn’t require me to make a bechamel sauce first, then add cheese and the macaroni.
You bet I’ll be trying this one!
Just tried this today–and it was really good. I love homemade macaroni and cheese, but do not like making the white sauce–so I rarely make it. I know white sauce is not hard, but for some reason I dread it. I cooked it in a round Pyrex casserole, but next time I will make it in a flatter rectangular casserole/baking dish, so the yummy sauce coats the macaroni better. I did mix it up when it was done to get the drier part down in the sauce. I will be making this again!
I love food. Macaroni and cheese is my favorite food! I wish I could have it every day. I actually grew up in a house that was very lacking in mac and cheese- my older brother didn’t like it, so my parents never made it. Boxed mac and cheese was the first thing I cooked on my own (other than toast and frozen waffles) as an 8 year old. Now that I’m all grown up, I’ve honestly made more macaroni and cheese recipes than anything else. I’ve happened upon a couple of really fantastic ones, but am always willing to try another! I actually can’t believe it’s taken me so long to try this recipe, and I also can’t believe that I’ve messed it up both times. The first time, I had everything ready to go when I realized I didn’t have milk. Oops! Then I decided to try it again this afternoon. I accidentally left out the margarine. Oops again! Our cockatiels’ first egg hatched this afternoon, so I was pretty excited and my mind was on the baby bird instead of cooking! Regardless, the mac and cheese was good without the margarine
I like the juxtaposition of the ultra cheesy top (and middle) with the more subtly cheesy but kinda creamy bottom. Great layers! Thanks for the recipe, Christy- next time I’ll have to try your mother’s!
My family has always made macaroni and cheese “pie”, with milk and eggs that make a custard type filling. And we always use sharp cheese and put pats of butter on the top tp help with browning. This is a “have to have dish” at family dinners and covered dish suppers in my part of the south. I have seen as many as 10 of these at family reunions, all a little different.
Does anyone know how many servings this makes? Is it enough to fill a 9″x13″ pan? (Or should I double the recipe?) I need to serve 8 people for a for a southern-themed party. This looks awesome…..and EASY! Thank you for the recipe.
Hey Mary!
I’d double it fir a 9×13. Hope you enjoy your party!!! Sounds like a blast!
Gratefully
Christy