This absolutely delicious Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese is wonderfully creamy and extra cheesy! Made with a minimum of three cheeses to make the best ever mac and cheese that is sure to be a family favorite!!
My easy to make Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese is the best creamy mac and cheese that your family is sure to love!!
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
While this baked mac and cheese is certainly worthy of being one that you reserve for holiday entertaining and family gatherings, I like to mix and bake it up for just any reason! The incredibly smooth, cheesy richness will earn this recipe a top spot in your family’s favorite comfort foods!
I know that when I serve this cheesy delight up, it is almost literally inhaled. Demands for more and for the recipe come next!
If you do happen to have any leftover, this recipe is perfect for making leftover mac and cheese bites. Try my breaded mac and cheese bites or my easy baked mac and cheese bites for an extra delicious way to use your leftover macaroni and cheese!
How To Make Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
To start, preheat your oven to 375 ºF ( 175 ºC ) and butter or spray your 9 x 13 baking pan or 3 qt casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Liberally salt your water for boiling the pasta in and cook the pasta as directed on the box, minus approximately two minutes to get an al denté texture.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Then set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the milk and heavy cream, then stir to combine.
Reserve 1 cup of the sharp cheddar cheese, and add the rest of the cheeses to the milk mixture. Add the seasoning: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add the cooked pasta, then stir all of the ingredients together.
Transfer the macaroni and cheese to your prepared baking dish and place in the center of your oven. Bake uncovered at 375 ºF ( 175 ºC ) for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the Southern baked macaroni and cheese to cool before serving. Don’t worry if your mac n cheese looks a bit wet or milky, as it will set up during the cooling time.
If desired, to brown the cheese topping, you can broil the mac and cheese for the last five minutes of the cooking time. If you opt for this, don’t walk away! Your cheesy topping will go from a lovely browned color to burnt before you know it!
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 cup Colby jack cheese (shredded)
- 4 oz American cheese (more of you want your mac n cheese even creamier)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and butter or spray your 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the elbow macaroni pasta according to the boxed directions, but remove the pasta 2 minutes earlier than the recommended cooking time (for an al dente texture).
- Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Then add milk and heavy cream, stir to combine.
- Add the cheeses, reserving 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese for the topping, and the seasoning (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper) as well as the cooked pasta. Stir to combine.
- Transfer to your baking dish and top with reserved 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered in the center of your oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes.
- Allow the Southern baked macaroni and cheese to cool for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. *The macaroni and cheese may appear jiggly, but sets up while cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma’s kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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