Cracker Barrel Mac and Cheese

🥘 Ingredients

• Macaroni - A box of regular elbow macaroni cooked as directed 1-2 minutes shy of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook as your macaroni bakes.
• Butter - Cold, cubed butter. You'll use some in the cheese sauce and some to top off your mac & cheese.
• Cheese - The perfect 5-cheese combo to mimic Cracker Barrel's recipe is cubed American cheese (in this recipe I am using Velveeta cheese), Shredded Colby or Colby Jack, Shredded Cheddar, and grated Parmesan/Romano blend.
• Evaporated Milk - A can of evaporated milk. It is not the same as sweetened condensed milk, so make sure you grab the right can.
• Milk - I recommend using whole milk for the creamiest cheese sauce.
• Yellow Mustard - Mustard is the secret ingredient in many of the best mac & cheese recipes.
• Eggs - Eggs hold everything together. Let them come to room temperature before using.
• Salt & Pepper - Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add a pinch or more of garlic powder if desired (this is one of my staple additions).

🔪 How To Make Cracker Barrel Mac and Cheese

Grating cheese is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, so I like to do it the day before. To get started, grab your measuring utensils, a cheese grater, a large pot, a colander, a 9x13 baking dish, a mixing bowl, and a whisk.

This recipe makes 8 side-dish servings or 6 main course servings of macaroni and cheese.

Step 1: Boil the pasta. Cook 16 ounces (453.59 grams) of elbow macaroni 1-2 minutes shy of al dente according to the package instructions and drain, but don't rinse (photo 1).

Step 2: Preheat and add butter. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5), then return the pasta to the pot and stir in half of the ¾ cup (170.25 grams) of butter (photo 2).

Step 3: Add American cheese. Once the butter has melted, add 4 ounces (113.4 grams) of American cheese cubes (photo 3) and mix until melted and evenly coating the pasta.

Step 4: Mix in more cheese. Transfer the pasta to a 9x13 baking dish. Mix in half of the 6 ounces (170.1 grams) of Colby cheese, half of the 6 ounces (170.1 grams) of cheddar, and half of the ¼ cup (24 grams) of Parmesan until evenly dispersed (photo 4). Top with remaining butter then set aside (photo 5).

Step 5: Whisk. In a mixing bowl, whisk together ¼ cup (59.15 milliliters) of milk, 12 ounces (340.19 milliliters) of evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, 2 large eggs, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of ground black pepper (photo 6). Pour the mixture over the pasta (photo 7).

Step 6: Add more cheese and bake. Top with remaining shredded cheese (photo 8), then bake uncovered at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 20 minutes (photo 9).

Step 7: Set and serve. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

💭 Tips & Notes

• Cook the pasta just shy of al dente. When baking mac and cheese, I always recommend cooking the pasta a few minutes shy of al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven.
• Grating your cheese pays off. Mac and cheese is one of those recipes where grating your cheese pays off. Freshly grated cheese melts much better than the pre-packaged shreds that come coated with cellulose to keep the shredded cheese from clumping.
• Cheese options. You could swap the 5 cheeses for all Colby, Colby Jack, or cheddar, but the 5 cheese blend is the most flavorful and closest to Cracker Barrel's recipe.
• Save some pasta water. Reserve your pasta water to thin out the cheese sauce if desired.
• Add meat and veggies. Cooked meat and thawed frozen or fresh diced veggies can be mixed into the mac and cheese before baking for a more complete meal.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Once cooled, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic cling wrap or transfer leftovers to a shallow airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.

Reheating

Reheat individual portions of macaroni in the microwave. You can also pop the dish back into the oven, cover it with foil, and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).

📖 Recipe Card