Baked mac and cheese is a soul food staple! Similar in nature to it’s stove-top counterpart, but completely different in texture, this side dish can be found in any southern cook’s repertoire!
This dish has all of the cheesy goodness of the mac and cheese we all know and love, but with some added GBD (golden brown deliciousness)! The ooey-gooey cheesiness is still alive and well, but you also get crispy, crunchy edges to dig into!
Soul Food Staple
If you grew up in the South, chances are you have had your fair share of baked mac and cheese. And if you haven’t, I feel so so sorry for you! Baked mac and cheese is one dish you will find on any soul food menu (if you don’t see it, run!). The perfect accompaniment to fried chicken and collard greens, baked mac is a must have in the south! In fact, this was the very first dish I learned to make by heart.
As I shared before, my Titi Cheryl sparked my love for cooking when she shared with me her cheesecake recipe. But she also shared her baked mac and cheese recipe with me as well. Now, for every major holiday that involves food, and even the ones that don’t, the table is not complete without a pan of mac and cheese. My sister might actually have a heart attack if I ever tried to tell her I wasn’t making it.
No Cheese Sauce Needed
The thing I love about this recipe is that it requires such little prep! Traditional mac and cheese requires making a cheese sauce first. You start with a roux of flour and butter. Next you add in heated milk. Finish it off by stirring in loads of shredded cheese and cooked noodles.
This recipe is more of a dump-and-go! It has all of the necessary ingredients for a cheese sauce, but with less prep. Just add the milk, flour, butter, eggs, cheese and noodles in all together and stir. The oven does all of the magic!
Patience is Key
I don’t think resting the mac and cheese before it bakes was part of my Titi’s original recipe. In fact, I think I stumbled upon this technique by accident. When I was younger, during Thanksgiving I was always in charge of all of the sides while my dad handled the turkey.
His time management wasn’t the best, though. I would always have all of the sides prepped and ready to go, but the turkey was always taking up the whole oven. There would be 4-5 pans of food sitting on the counter and in the fridge for hours just waiting to bake, including the mac.
I noticed that the noodles actually began to absorb a lot of the milk, so I would always have to add more milk right before it went in the oven so it didn’t dry out. I always thought this was annoying, until the first time I made it and stuck it in the oven right away.
It still turned out good, but it just wasn’t as creamy and gooey as when I let it rest. I’m not sure the science behind it, but I think allowing it to rest allows the noodles to retain more moisture, which evaporate right out if put in the oven right away.
Whatever the reason, it works! This cheesy, gooey, warm baked deliciousness is the perfect side dish to any meal. (Or main dish if you are feeling wild)! It may be a little different from its stove-top counterpart, but it just might become your new favorite!
Want other easy sides?
Try these out with your next meal:
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried elbow noodles
- 5 cups whole milk divided
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
- 2 cups grated swiss cheese
- 2 cups grated colby jack
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook elbow noodles 2 minutes shy of box directions. You want the noodles to be just shy of done, but not crunchy. Drain and allow noodles to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of the milk, flour, melted butter, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Add in the grated cheese, reserving about ¼ cup of each cheese.
- Stir in cooled noodles. Pour the entire mixture into a 13x9 baking dish and sprinkle the top with remaining cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Cover with foil and allow the mixture to rest for at least one hour. After the noodles have rested and absorbed some of the milk, pour the remaining 1 cup of milk on the top of the mixture.
- Re-cover with foil and place in the oven for one hour, removing the foil after the first 30 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned.
- Serve immediately.
