AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE
Southern baked macaroni and cheese, also called soul food mac and cheese, is the ultimate in comfort food. My authentic recipe has five cheeses, is creamy, rich and comforting, and stays true to the cultural classic.
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked (500g)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz colby jack cheese shredded
- 8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
- 8 oz American cheese cubed
- 4 oz cream cheese cubed and room temperature
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp
smoked paprika - 1-2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter an 8 by 11 or 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Fill a large stockpot or dutch oven halfway with chicken broth (or water if you don't have broth), and bring to a boil. Add in elbow macaroni and cook until just under al dente, according to package directions. Do not fully cook or overcook the macaroni pasta, it'll finish cooking through completely in the oven. Once just under al dente, drain the pasta.
- While the pasta boils, use a wooden spoon to mix the half and half, heavy cream, half of the cheddar cheese, half of the Colby jack cheese, all of the mozzarella cheese, all of the American cheese, and all of the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and some kosher salt and pepper, stirring well and tasting the mixture to ensure there is a good flavor. Do not add too much salt, since cheese is pretty salty and will add its saltiness as it bakes. Once satisfied with the seasoning, stir in the cooked macaroni and eggs until well incorporated with the cheese.
- Pour the macaroni mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly.
- Top the macaroni and cheese generously with the rest of the cheddar cheese and colby jack cheese. Sprinkle the top with a little more smoked paprika, if desired.
- Bake the mac and cheese for 35 minutes or until the cheese crust is bubbly and nicely browned. Do not over-bake or the macaroni pasta will become mushy and the cheese mixture will become dry.
- Let the baked macaroni and cheese cool for about 10 minutes or until just cool enough to serve. Serve hot so the cheese is nice and creamy.
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
NOTES FOR THE BEST MAC AND CHEESE
For extra creaminess, use 8 ounces of cream cheese.
Don't have half and half? You can use evaporated milk (not condensed milk!) instead.
You can use whatever cheese you like, (monterey jack, whole milk mozzarella, mild cheddar, extra-sharp cheddar cheese) as long as they aren't hard cheeses like aged gruyere or 1,000 day aged gouda. They tend to separate and not melt easily when baked.
But the less aged versions like red wax gouda and smoked gruyere, are good to go into the mac. Softer cheeses like burrata, brie, camembert, and chevre (goat cheese) are also welcome to the party to replace the cream cheese.
DOUBLING THE RECIPE
This recipe doubles just fine, only add one more egg and use a (much) larger baking dish, you'll probably need the disposable aluminum ones because it's a LOT of macaroni and cheese. Bake it for an extra 10 minutes as well to ensure the custard gets cooked and that cheese crust gets nice.Recipe by Eden Westbrook of Sweet Tea + Thyme.
Get more recipes at sweetteaandthyme.com
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