Mac n’ Cheese Like Mom Used to Make
Macaroni and cheese, better known as mac n’ cheese, is at the top of the list for favorite American comfort foods. Like many people, I graduated from mac n’ cheese dinner kits to trying various recipes for the homemade stuff. Tons of them live on the internet, in magazines, and in cookbooks.
But it was years before I found out why my mac n’ cheese just didn’t quite live up to the mac n’ cheese my mom made years ago. I discovered this while going through her old recipe book.
An egg. That was the difference. After a little research, it turns out it’s called baked or Southern-style macaroni and cheese. It made sense.
Mom’s mac n’ cheese is so simple to make. Unlike stovetop recipes, this dish is baked in a slow to moderate oven for 45 minutes. But the taste and texture are worth the wait.
The recipe only calls for four ingredients, not including any spices. Unlike stovetop recipes, butter is eliminated. And like any mac n’ cheese, you can vary the recipe. Sometimes I add a little dry mustard. At other times, I use more than one kind of cheese. For this one, I used a quarter cup of grated parmesan in addition to the grated cheddar.
You’re not limited to shredded cheeses either, since the cheese is layered with the noodles.
Here’s Mom’s recipe for Southern baked mac n’ cheese.
Oh, and don’t miss the History of Mac n’ Cheese after the recipe. Interesting!
Ingredients for Baked Mac n’ Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups macaroni, cooked & drained
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced or shredded
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash pepper
Instructions
- Layer the macaroni with the cheese in a 2-quart baking dish.
- Don’t add the top layer of cheese yet.
- Beat together the egg, salt, pepper, and milk.
- Pour the mixture over the macaroni and cheese.
- Add more milk if the mixture doesn’t come to the top.
- Add the top layer of cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until slightly browned and bubbly.
Whisk together the milk, egg, and spices you use.
Pour the mixture over the macaroni and cheese.
Bake until slightly browned and bubbly.
History of Mac n’ Cheese
As far as food historians can determine, mac n’ cheese hails from Northern Europe. A scribbled recipe from 1769 is the earliest one found. President Thomas Jefferson first served the cheesy pasta dish in the United States in 1802 at a state dinner. It was one of the fashionable pasta dishes he had discovered while visiting France. He returned with a pasta machine and a stack of recipes.
Somehow, by 1937 the creamy comfort casserole had made its way into a boxed meal. Kraft Foods introduced America to its iconic macaroni and cheese dinner. All you had to do was boil the dried pasta and mix the processed powdered cheese into heated milk and butter. It arrived at an opportune time: for 19 cents, it fed a family of four, and the country was in the midst of the Great Depression.
Source: Smithsonian Institute Magazine
Then in 1953, the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook published a recipe for a creamy sauce with a base made of melted Velveeta cheese and cream of mushroom soup. Boxed Velveeta Shells & Cheese was born, and college students and young parents everywhere upgraded to the box that advertised “made with real cheese.”
Over the years, many top chefs have attempted to “take back the mac” by adding their signature twist to this classic dish. At gourmet restaurants, you’ll find it served steamed in melted brie and with ingredients like fresh mushrooms, figs, and herbs. Southern gal Paula Deen, formerly of Food Network, wraps slivers of it in bacon and flash-fries it.
