Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
This easy baked mac and cheese recipe will quickly become a family favorite. A 5 star, homemade baked macaroni and cheese using real, simple ingredients. No velveeta! A creamy mac and cheese recipe using cheddar cheese, milk, eggs, butter, flour, and macaroni then baked in the oven.
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.