Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Serves: 6
Ingredients
•3 cups macaroni, uncooked
•2 eggs
•½ cup heavy cream
•1½ cups milk
•salt & pepper
•paprika (optional)
•1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (a must)
•1 cup Velveeta, shredded or another type cheese
•1 cup sharp cheddar
•1 cup colby & monteray jack, shredded (cheese blend)
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350
2.Cook macaroni until just al dente or a little under al dente. (Look on the back of the box to see how long you need to cook your pasta for it to reach al dente.) Be careful not to overcook.
3.Drain pasta and set aside.
4.In a large bowl, add milk, heavy cream & cheeses (except for the smoked cheddar).
5.Stir to combine.
6.Taste the milk mixture and add salt & pepper until it has a good taste. You can also add in other seasonings like onion, paprika, etc. Tasting will help avoid having a plain, bland bake macaroni & cheese. Yuck!
7.When you are content with the taste, add in the eggs.
8.Stir well until combined.
9.Butter a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
10.Add macaroni to the baking dish.
11.Pour cheese mixture over macaroni.
12.Make sure the cheese distributed well.
13.Top with smoked cheddar cheese. (I add a little more Colby jack as well.) Sprinkle with paprika and/or black pepper, if desired.
14.Bake for 35-45 minutes. Do not over bake. It may be a bit jiggle when you take it out of the oven. It will firm up as it cool.
15.Let cool for about 10-15 minutes or until fully set.
16.Enjoy!
Notes
~Tips~ Do not over bake! Mac and cheese may be a tad jiggle when removed from oven but it will firm up as it cools.