Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
This soul food Southern baked mac and cheese is creamy, cheesy, and never dry. Made with five kinds of cheese, heavy cream, and a custard-base, it bakes into that ooey-gooey texture readers love. The pasta is cooked in chicken broth for extra flavor, then finished in the oven so it stays tender but not mushy. No roux, no whisking, just a simple dump-and-bake macaroni and cheese that’s perfect for Sunday dinners, Thanksgiving, and every holiday table.
Ingredients
- 1 tbspbutter (for buttering the pan)
- 16 ozelbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 10 cupswater mixed with chicken broth ((i use better than bouillon))
- 8 ozsharp cheddar cheese (shredded, save half for topping)
- 8 ozcolby jack cheese (shredded, save half for topping)
- 8 ozpart-skim mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 8 ozamerican cheese (cubed)
- 4 ozsoftened cream cheese (warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds)
- 1 cuphalf and half
- 1 cupheavy cream
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
- ½ tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- ½ tspmustard powder
- 2 largeeggs
Directions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter an 8-by-11 or 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- 2
Fill a large stockpot or dutch oven halfway with chicken broth (or water and 1 tbsp salt 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.
- 3
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.
- 4
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.
- 5
Pour the macaroni mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
Let the baked macaroni and cheese cool for about 5 minutes or until just cool enough to serve. Serve hot so the cheese is nice and creamy.
- 9
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.