Baked Macaroni and Cheese
"Where I grew up the standard macaroni and cheese was creamy, like the stuff that comes in a box. But my mom always made the custard version. Some places I've lived that was the usual kind and the creamy one was the oddity. Wherever you live, this is delicious! Make it plain or try one of the variations."
photo by flower7
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni
- 1 lb colby cheese, sliced (also known as Longhorn or Longhorn Colby)
- 3 cups milk
- 6 eggs
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
directions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions but stop a minute or two short of fully cooked. Drain and rinse.
- Grease or butter an 8x12 or 13x9 baking pan. (A half batch can be made in a 9 inch square pan).
- Spread 1/3 of the macaroni in the pan. Top with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Repeat twice, alternating the directions the slices run so as to fill all the gaps.
- Beat eggs into the milk.
- Pour into the casserole dish. You want this custard to come within about 1/2 inch of the top of the pan. The shape and size of the dish may require more or less -- just keep the proportion of 2 eggs per cup of milk.
- Bake at 350°F for 60-90 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean of custard (it might be a bit cheesy).
- Tip -- this is apt to overflow a little if you got the custard too far up to the top. Best to bake it on the upper rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
- Variations -- Add things like leftover cooked chicken or turkey, leftover ham, cooked broccoli, VERY well-drained frozen spinach, peas, ?.
- You can also vary the cheese used. I've had it with cheddar, American, Swiss (extra good with ham and broccoli), and mozzarella.
- You can also try adding different herbs. IMO, nothing wakes up bland food like a dash of sherry or a pinch of celery seed. A bit of garlic, thyme, or Italian seasoning can be good depending on the cheese used.
Questions & Replies
-
Do you cover the dish while baking?
Reviews
-
We cut this recipe in half and topped it with crushed bread crumbs. This was good and I will make it again thanks.
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Very nice! I halved the recipe and used cheddar-jack cheese (shredded not sliced, as it was what I had) and skim milk. I also added a couple diced crimini mushrooms that I had in the fridge and needed to use. Baked in an 8x8 pan for 60 minutes and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing! -
My whole family loved this! I used tri colored rotini and a dash of garlic, but other than that stuck to the recipe. It was fantastic!! I have always preferred my Mac n Cheese baked. My 4 year old will not eat meat or eggs but there's a lot of protein snuck in here in the eggs and he doesn't even know he's eating it. Definitely a keeper for me! Next time I'm going to use some fresh garlic and onion chopped so fine it almost liquifies when I saute it, then add it in for a little added flavor. I do that with most things I make though. Thanks! It was delish! -
I have been looking for a recipe like this for so long. This is how my family makes macaroni... I've never liked the super creamy stuff. Thanks for sharing, this was fantastic! -
Yummy! I had never had mac and cheese like this until I married a southern boy. I've always been hesitant to make it because it wouldn't be as good as Mom or Granny's. Well, this recipe got my southern husbands approval. Thanks for sharing.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
3KillerBs
Pinebluff, North Carolina
