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One staple that is on my families holiday table is a baked southern macaroni and cheese casserole. It’s so good that it doesn’t feel like the holidays without it.
There is something so comforting about this baked macaroni and cheese recipe. This casserole uses simple ingredients like elbow macaroni noodles, sharp cheddar cheese, milk, and eggs. Baked in the oven, it makes enough to feed a large crowd at your next holiday gathering.
Every holiday I make this recipe for my family. And every holiday this is the first side dish to be completely devoured. It is THAT good!
Southern Macaroni and Cheese Just like at a Restaurant
Visit any restaurant in the south and you may be surprised to find baked macaroni and cheese as a “vegetable” option or side dish. It is no secret we love macaroni and cheese in the south.
In the south we tend to do baked macaroni and cheese a little differently by using eggs. The use of eggs makes the southern macaroni and cheese bake into a casserole. It is firmer and holds its shape unlike traditional stovetop macaroni and cheese that is creamier.
Baked macaroni and cheese is often served alongside other traditional southern dishes like cornbread, creamed corn, green beans, etc. This is by far my favorite way to enjoy macaroni and cheese.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Casserole: A Southern Family Tradition
The tradition of having this recipe served at our family table during the holidays began with my grandmother. We have reserved this recipe to only making it during a family get together. This isn’t something that we make year round which is what makes it extra special.
Although grandmother’s recipe will always be the best, I’ve since taken the family recipe and added my own unique tweaks to it.
Save Time: Make this recipe the day before your celebration
What I love about this recipe is that you can easily make it ahead of time. If you have a lot of dishes to cook the next day like on Thanksgiving for example, save some time by assembling this southern macaroni and cheese casserole the day before. That way all you have to do is pop it into the oven to finish baking the day of your big celebration.
If baking the next day, cold from the fridge you will need to add an additional 15-20 minutes to your baking time.
Assemble the macaroni and cheese for baking in a metal or disposable aluminum pan the day before. The next day, remove from the fridge and allow to sit on the counter at room temperature while the oven preheats (no longer than 15 minutes). Cover with aluminum foil, and bake covered for 45 minutes instead of 30 like the recipe states. After baking covered for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until brown on top. The extra baking time is to ensure that the middle is cooked and no longer cold or runny.
Check for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the center of the baked mac and cheese. Push the macaroni over to the side just a bit, if the center hole doesn’t fill with liquid then it should be completely cooked.
If making the mac and cheese ahead of time and baking the next day, do not use a glass baking dish. Glass can not go from really cold temperatures to hot temperatures, this extreme switch in temperatures will cause the glass to shatter.
Need to bring something to a party?
This recipe also travels really well. I love glass baking dishes with lids just for occasions such as this. After baking this recipe, just pop the lid onto your baking dish and it’s ready to be taken to the party.
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 3 TBSP salted Butter
- 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
Also Needed:
- 3 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese halved (for layering before baking)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Cook 4 cups dry elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- While the elbow macaroni is draining you will prepare the cheese sauce in the original pot that you cooked the macaroni in. First melt 3 TBSP salted Butter on low-medium heat. Then, whisk in 3 TBSP all-purpose flour and let cook for approximately 3 mins.
- Whisk in 2 cups whole milk. Continue stirring on low-medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Don't Rush! Keep your heat low, if the heat is too high you will curdle the milk and not have a smooth cheese sauce.
- Once your milk mixture has thickened, add 3 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and stir until melted.
- Remove the cheese sauce from the heat. Add the drained elbow macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and stir to coat all of the noodles.
- In a separate bowl whisk together 6 eggs and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Once combined, stir the egg mixture into the macaroni and cheese. Stir well until everything is combined.
- Pour half of the macaroni and cheese mixture into a glass 13"x 9" casserole dish.
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese onto the first layer of macaroni in the casserole dish.
- Add the rest of the macaroni and cheese mixture on top of the cheese in the casserole dish then top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes1. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the middle of the baked macaroni and cheese is no longer runny and the top has started to brown a little bit2.
- Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
- If assembling the day before and baking the next day cold from the fridge, you will need to add an additional 15-20 minutes to your baking time. Do not use a glass baking dish if baking cold from the fridge as the glass with shatter from the extreme change in temperature. A metal or disposable aluminum baking pan is best for this. Complete detailed instructions are written above the recipe card of this blog post.
- Check for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the center of the baked mac and cheese. Push the macaroni over to the side just a bit, if the center hole doesn’t fill with liquid then it should be completely cooked.
Other Southern Recipes You Might Enjoy
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So the recipe state’s 3 cups of cheese, then add 3 cups to the mixture then add 1 ½ in between mac and then add 1 ½ on top.. ?
Yes, that is correct. It is stated in the ingredients that you need an additional 3 cups of cheese (which is divided into 1 1/2 cups) for layering before baking.
Made this for the first time, except substituted half and half for whole milk because I was out of whole milk. This is my new favorite Mac & cheese recipe. It’s so creamy, fluffy and crunchy at the same time. Delicious!!
I’m in no way affiliated with the company but, Pyrex baking dishes are a must-have when you need to get as much done the night before serving, as possible. They will not shatter or break, they can withstand extreme temperatures and changes in temperatures and, they’re a modest investment for all they can do. You can find them on Amazon, Walmart, Target, et al. You can even get nice looking sets that come with the casserole dish, an equally heat-resistant lid, and zippered, thermal carrier with handles that keep your dish horizontal, to prevent spills. Awesome gift idea to have embroidered for newlyweds or your family cook. ??
I completely agree that Pyrex are great baking dishes. The majority of my glass bakeware is Pyrex.
However, I do have to disagree that they can withstand extreme temperature changes. I have personally had a Pyrex dish explode in my own oven when I have baked something from the fridge so that is why I advise not to use any glass baking dishes when assembling this recipe the day before. I know the very last thing anyone wants to do on Thanksgiving is clean up glass from a broken dish and have to throw away an entire recipe that they just worked so hard to make. It might not happen every time, but I believe it is better to be safe and cautious than sorry later.
One quick google search for “pyrex explodes in oven” and you can see that I am not the only one that this has happened to. I found this reddit particularly interesting to read as some people say that the original company is no longer in production so the newer glassware might not be as good as what it was in the past.
Don’t get me wrong though, I love pyrex and other brands of glass bakeware as I have quite the collection. The majority of the time, I use a glass baking dish when I make this baked mac and cheese. I just won’t use any type of glass baking dishes if I know I will be baking something from the fridge directly into the oven.
I have had a Pyrex explode in the oven while it was holding chicken that I was cooking. A disaster!!
This may be a dumb question but could I cook this in a crockpot casserole slow cooker?
I have not tried to cook this in a crockpot casserole slow cooker so I am not exactly sure how it would turn out, how long it would need to cook, or anything like that. In a crockpot there is no way to brown the cheese on top so I would stick with baking it in the oven for that reason alone.
Can I bake this a day ahead then reheat in the oven while my turkey rests?
I don’t think it would be a good idea to bake it the day before and reheat it. I think it would take the same amount of time if not longer to reheat it as it would be to just assemble all the ingredients together and then bake it the next day. If you bake it the day before, put it in the fridge and reheat it the next day the texture will be completely different than if you were to bake it “fresh” if that makes sense.
You will get the best baked macaroni and cheese if you make the recipe as it is written with assembling and baking on the same day. If you need to save some time then you can assemble the mac and cheese the day before and then bake it the next day but you will need to add an additional 15-20 minutes to your cooking time since you would be baking the mac and cheese cold from the fridge.
Hi!! I’m confused on the baking before so want to clarify, if I make and bake the day before how long should I reheat it for? It will not be cold because we have a 2 hour car drive. Can’t wait to try this! ?
I do not advise baking the day before as the texture will be completely different the next day and it will take a really long time to reheat an entire pan so that the middle is no longer cold.
However, you can assemble the mac and cheese the day before in a disposable aluminum pan but don’t bake it. Place in the fridge then the next day bake it but add an additional 15-20 minutes to your baking time. Do not use a glass baking dish if assembling the day before and baking the next day as the extreme change in temperature from fridge to oven will cause the glass to shatter.
If I were in your situation, I would assemble the mac and cheese the day before in a disposable baking pan and bake it the next day before I left the house. While traveling I would make sure that I kept the pan warm and insulated by placing it in a casserole warmer that plugs into the car or something similar to that so that it can stay warm. When you get to where you are going, the reheating time should only be about 10-15 minutes or so if the freshly baked mac and cheese is slightly warm when you arrive at your destination.
Thank you so much I will do that :) Happy Thanksgiving!!
Can you use evaporated milk in the place of regular milk?
Since evaporated milk is concentrated I would use half evaporated milk and half water. The recipe calls for 2 cups of whole milk so if you want to use evaporated milk instead then I would do 1 cup evaporated milk and 1 cup water.
So I can make this recipe and keep in the fridge and then bake it the next day?
Yes, but you will need to add an additional 15-20 minutes to your baking time. So I would bake it in a disposable aluminum pan, remove from the fridge and allow to sit on the counter at room temperature while the oven preheats (about 15 minutes). Cover with aluminum foil, and bake covered for 45 minutes instead of 30 like the recipe states. After baking covered for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until brown on top. The extra baking time is to ensure that the middle is cooked and no longer cold or runny.
Check for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the center of the baked mac and cheese. Push the macaroni over to the side just a bit, if the center hole doesn’t fill with liquid then it should be completely cooked.
If making the mac and cheese ahead of time and baking the next day, do not use a glass baking dish. Glass can not go from really cold temperatures to hot temperatures, this extreme switch in temperatures will cause the glass to shatter.
What happens if we don’t have aluminum foil ?
If you don’t cover with aluminum foil then the top layer of macaroni and cheese could get too brown, hard, and crunchy. Alternatively, parchment paper may also work but I have not tested laying a piece of parchment paper on top instead of aluminum foil but that is what I would try if I did not have aluminum foil.
6 eggs sounds like a lot. Will it be a solid mass, or soft and creamy and separated ? If I use more than one egg in my stuffing it turns into a cake like solid
Thank you for the question. My grandmother would make this recipe using a dozen eggs, while I prefer to use just 6 eggs for a good combination of both creamy and firm. If you are looking for a creamier baked macaroni and cheese recipe then my advice would be to reduce the eggs to just 3 eggs or eliminate the eggs in this recipe all together. In the south, we prefer eggs in our baked mac and cheese that is why this recipe is written that way. Please be advised that if you do reduce the amount of eggs or eliminate them all together from this recipe that it won’t take as long for it to bake in the oven. You will need to keep an eye on it as it bakes and reduce the baking time quite a bit. Remove from the oven when the top is golden brown.
Another option for a creamy mac and cheese is my stovetop version of macaroni and cheese. It is creamy and requires no baking although you could put it into a baking dish, top with more cheese, and bake for a little bit until the top is golden brown if you’d like.
The best part of home cooking is experimenting. So, have fun and please keep us updated on what you decided to do and how it turned out.
Yum! Haven’t made macaroni and cheese in a while, will try your recipe then! thanks you!!!
Mac and cheese is one of my son’s favorites. I would like to try your recipe sometime. He’d be delighted!
This sounds like a very rich and flavorful mac and cheese. We love a good baked mac in our house!
That looks like a great macaroni and cheese casserole, I’ll have to give it a try!
Mac ‘n cheese is my young son’s favorite meal. I must make this at my next holiday celebration. Thanks for sharing this with us.
I love a good bowl of Mac n cheese. I’ll have to make a batch of this Mac n cheese when I make ribs.
This is making me hungry! I really love to try this awesome recipe! It look so good!
Macaroni is such a universal dish that everyone enjoys and I love your southern take. Love to try it out for sure.
This sounds like heaven. Macaroni cheese is one of my favourite dishes. I’d love to try making it myself.
My mom used to make a macaroni and cheese casserole that looked a lot like yours. I think she had some breadcrumbs on top too. It was always a huge hit at get-togethers. I’ll have to make this for her and see what she thinks.
An interesting take on Mac n Cheese, and sounds like something worth trying.
This looks so good. I’m definitely saving this to make later. My kids really love mac and cheese.
My youngest son loves mac and cheese. I will have to have him make this.
We love mac and cheese! They’re a hit when we have company as well.
I am drooling. I just love mac and cheese and this looks incredible.
What size is the casserole dish for this recipe?
Sorry about not including this in the recipe, I think I used a 9×13″ glass casserole dish. Definitely a larger dish because this recipe is made to feed a crowd!
Can you use a tin baking dish or a cream baking dish for this or does it have to be glass? I’m new to cooking!
Yes, you can use any oven safe bakeware to bake this recipe that includes but not limited to glass baking dishes, disposable baking pans, ceramic bakeware, stainless steel baking pans (although it will probably stick really bad in a pan like this), aluminum or aluminized steel bakeware, etc. If sticking is a concern based on the bakeware that you’ve chosen then I would spray it with some nonstick cooking spray before adding the macaroni. Hope this helps in some way. Good luck on your cooking journey!