My homemade macaroni and cheese, fresh out of the oven
As a Carolina girl, I grew up with homemade macaroni and
cheese. I have a large extended family
on my mother’s side. When we had family
dinners, there were always multiple macaroni and cheese casseroles, or what
many of my relatives call “cheese pies”.
All of my aunts made baked mac & cheese, but I don’t think any of
them used a recipe! One year I decided
to change that. When I made my mac &
cheese that year for Thanksgiving, I decided to measure everything and write it
down. Depending on how good it was, I
could refine my recipe. Mission
accomplished! I have been using my
recipe ever since.
Those of us who know real
macaroni and cheese, as opposed to mac & cheese out of a box, know that the
homemade baked version is an exquisite treat.
I especially love the soufflé-like texture when it’s fresh out of the
oven.
Macaroni
& Cheese Ingredients
2 cups cooked macaroni
1 can evaporated milk2 eggs, beaten
8 oz cheese
1/3 stick butter
Instructions
1- Preheat oven to 350°.
2- Grease 2 quart baking dish. Add butter and place in oven to soften. Add cooked macaroni and stir to combine with
butter.
3- Add milk and beaten eggs.
Stir to distribute.
4- Add shredded or cubed cheese. I use 4 oz Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar, and
4 oz medium cheddar or Colby. Stir to
combine.
5- Bake 30 minutes at 350°.
Remove from oven and stir thoroughly.
Increase oven temperature to 400°.
Return to oven for 20 minutes.
Variations
For large holiday meals, I triple this recipe, except the
eggs. I use 4 large eggs with 3 cans of
milk, 1 stick of butter, 6 cups of cooked macaroni, 12 oz sharp cheddar and 12
oz medium cheddar. Cook 40 minutes at
350°, and 40 minutes at 400°.
For a super quick cooking version, I use an 11” X 13” pan,
and cook about 30 minutes. My version
produced somewhere between ½” and 1” thickness of mac and cheese. You can have fun with this one by adding a
square for a special take on a cheeseburger or grilled cheese.
White
Mac & Cheese
I’ve made a gorgonzola version that was a completely
different take for me on macaroni and cheese.
There are endless possibilities.
2 cups cooked macaroni
1/3 stick butter
2 eggs
1 can milk
3 oz gorgonzola cheese
4 oz mozzarella
Bake as above.
Serving of Gorgonzola Mac & Cheese
Dunbar
Macaroni
One of my favorite meals from my elementary school cafeteria
was Dunbar Macaroni. I use leftover mac
and cheese and make my own version. I
used to have enough mac & cheese left over from when I made the huge
portion for Thanksgiving for my Texas friends’ gathering. Over the period of a couple years however, my
mac & cheese has gained a reputation, and there are no longer any
leftovers. Now I buy extra cheese and
stuff, and just make a small portion (with 2 cups macaroni) just for
Dunbar.
Brown 1 ½ lbs of ground beef. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of
spaghetti sauce. Simmer for about an
hour, until meat softens. Add in chunks
of leftover macaroni and cheese. Break
it apart as it softens.
