With an egg and milk base, rather than a béchamel, Mom's southern baked mac and cheese is undeniably southern. Baked to perfection, and cut into slices of cheesy goodness. This casserole-style mac and cheese is irresistible!
(Originally Published March 12, 2019, Updated content, tips and FAQ's on March 16, 2020)
I've spent the last 10 years learning how to cook this dish the way my mom did when I was a kid. It was my first favorite food in the whole world (that I can remember). The only problem is... my mom does not measure anything! I mean, unless she's baking a cake or a pie, it's always just a little bit of this and that. Well, it is truly my pleasure to share this recipe with the world; especially after a few dozen failed attempts over the years. This family recipe has been passed down through generations, without a written copy. I spent years perfecting the amounts in order to share the recipe with friends, and now I'm sharing it with you! Please enjoy my mom's famous mac and cheese!
Why This Recipe Works
- Because this recipe has a milk and egg base, rather than a béchamel, this southern baked macaroni and cheese yields a firm, sliceable casserole that is creamy, rich and incredibly cheesy.
- The evaporated milk adds a rich, creamy flavor that is unique to southern-style mac and cheese.
More comfort food sides:
- Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Stuffing AKA Cornbread Dressing
- Pressure Cooker Yellow Rice Easily Made from Scratch
The Process
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then add a lot of salt. You want it to be as salty as the ocean tastes.
Add pasta and cook pasta to an al dente texture, usually about 7 minutes. Do not fully cook since pasta will cook more later in the oven.
Meanwhile - in a large mixing bowl, add eggs, seasoned salt, and pepper...
...and whisk together.
Add milk...
...and whisk again. Set aside.
Drain pasta in a colander.
Add butter to pot...
...then return pasta to pot while still hot...
...and mix until butter is completely melted.
Return pot to stove over medium heat. Add cubed cheese...
...and mix until partially melted. Remove from heat.
Add egg/milk mixture to pasta/cheese mixture...
...and stir until well combined.
Then pour into 13x9 glass casserole dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
Then remove from oven and gently mix well.
Top completely with an even layer of sliced cheddar. Return to oven and bake for about 15 more minutes. Note: the only thing that needs to cook are the eggs, so resist the urge to overcook. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes (or more) before serving.
And this is the AMAZING result…
Expert Tips
- Be sure to not fully cook your pasta when boiling. The pasta will continue to cook once you transfer to the oven, so it will become mushy if it's already too soft.
- Don't me tempted to skip the stirring step halfway through baking. This is important in achieving the proper consistency.
FAQs
Do I have to use Kraft cheese? The quality of cheese makes a difference. While you can make this with generic brands of cheese, my extended family can immediately spot the difference between Kraft and store brands. I highly recommend using Kraft cheese for this recipe. And no, this post is not sponsored by Kraft. 🙂
Can I use gluten-free pasta in this recipe? Yes! My wife is gluten intolerant, so every holiday season I make a gluten-free mac and cheese for her. In addition to substituting gluten-free elbow macaroni, you will need to adjust the cook time when boiling the pasta. Cook one minute less than the "al dente" time listed on the box. This will prevent the gluten-free noodles, which have a tendency to absorb more liquid than wheat pasta, from becoming mushy when baking.
What can I substitute for evaporated milk? In a pinch, you may substitute whole milk, however the flavor and richness will not be the same.
Can I freeze leftovers? Technically, yes. Mac and cheese may be frozen for up to 3 months. In general, I avoid freezing pasta as the texture does not hold up well upon reheating. We also have never had enough leftovers of this dish to freeze.
How long does this last in the fridge? For safety purposes, refrigerate mac and cheese leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Leftovers may be stored in an air tight container for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Can I use less eggs if I want my mac and cheese to be loose? This southern mac and cheese is definitely meant to be more like a casserole. It will be firm, not creamy and loose. If you have a pressure cooker, you may enjoy our pressure cooker version, which is not quite as firm.
★ Did you make this southern baked mac and cheese?
Please give it a star rating below! ★
Mom's Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb. elbow pasta
- ½ cup butter
- 6 large eggs
- 24 oz. evaporated milk
- 1 Tbsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 lbs. Kraft medium cheddar cheese ½ cubed, ½ medium sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then add a lot of salt. You want it to be as salty as the ocean tastes. Add pasta and cook pasta to an al dente texture, usually about 7 minutes. Do not fully cook since pasta will cook more later in the oven.
- Meanwhile – in a large mixing bowl, add eggs, seasoned salt, and pepper and whisk together. Add milk and whisk again. Set aside.
- Drain pasta in a colander. Add butter to pot then return pasta to pot while still hot and mix until butter is completely melted.
- Return pot to stove over medium heat. Add cubed cheese and mix until partially melted. Remove from heat.
- Add egg/milk mixture to pasta/cheese mixture and stir until well combined. Then pour into 13x9 glass casserole dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove from oven and gently mix well. Top completely with an even layer of sliced cheddar.
- Return to oven and bake for about 15 more minutes. Note: the only thing that needs to cook are the eggs, so resist the urge to overcook.
- Remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes (or more) before serving.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- Be sure to not fully cook your pasta when boiling. The pasta will continue to cook once you transfer to the oven, so it will become mushy if it's already too soft.
- Don't me tempted to skip the stirring step halfway through the baking. This is important in achieving the proper consistency.
FAQs
Do I have to use Kraft cheese? The quality of cheese makes a difference. While you can make this with generic brands of cheese, my extended family can immediately spot the difference between Kraft and store brands. I highly recommend using Kraft cheese for this recipe. And no, this post is not sponsored by Kraft. 🙂 Can I use gluten-free pasta in this recipe? Yes! My wife is gluten intolerant, so every holiday season I make a gluten-free mac and cheese for her. In addition to substituting gluten-free elbow macaroni, you will need to adjust the cook time when boiling the pasta. Cook one minute less than the "al dente" time listed on the box. This will prevent the gluten-free noodles, which have a tendency to absorb more liquid than wheat pasta, from becoming mushy when baking. I also add an extra can of evaporated milk when using gluten-free pasta. Just add it along with the rest of the evaporated milk. What can I substitute for evaporated milk? In a pinch, you may substitute whole milk, however the flavor and richness will not be the same. Can I freeze leftovers? Technically, yes. Mac and cheese may be frozen for up to 3 months. In general, I avoid freezing pasta as the texture does not hold up well upon reheating. We also have never had enough leftovers of this dish to freeze. How long does this last in the fridge? For safety purposes, refrigerate mac and cheese leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Leftovers may be stored in an air tight container for 3 to 5 days in the fridge. Can I use less eggs if I want my mac and cheese to be loose? This southern mac and cheese is definitely meant to be more like a casserole. It will be firm, not creamy and loose. If you have a pressure cooker, you may enjoy our pressure cooker version, which is not quite as firm.Nutrition
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT OUR DISCLOSURE PAGE.
rebecca
This is the best macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten! I love this recipe, so easy to make but tastes like you spent hours on it.
Matthew
Such a great recipe and I really appreciate the easy steps!
Jesse
What size of cans do I use for the 2 cans of evaporated milk??
Chef Gary
12oz. Sorry for the delay... and being unclear.
Kathryn
My family loves this recipe!
Sue
Our new favorite. Thanks, Evelyn 🙂
Deanna
Question - have you tried freezing leftovers?
I can hear people saying, "What leftovers??" 😊
Sara
Ever since my granny died Mac and cheese was never the same until this recipe. I’ve tried 100s of different styles you name it This recipe was my piece of heaven. So delicious even printed it out for future references. I will be making this at least 4x a month. Thank you so much!!!
Gary White
Thanks for your kind words. That makes me happy.
Ruth
Love this recipe!! Could it affect if I used less eggs? I’m not sure if it was the egg or milk that sort of became a rubbery/ chunk texture in between once I took out of the oven.
Gary White
Glad you enjoyed it! This is definitely meant to be more like a casserole. It will be solid, not creamy and loose. If you have a pressure cooker, you may enjoy our pressure cooker version, which is not quite as solid. https://thefoodieeats.com/pressure-cooker-mac-and-cheese/ Or our creamy mac and cheese with gruyere and truffle oil: https://thefoodieeats.com/instant-pot-macaroni-and-cheese/
Laura A.
I’ve been looking for an amazing baked Mac and cheese recipe for years....finally found it!!! I’ve made this at least 6 times over the last year and todays batch is for Thanksgiving. My family goes crazy over this dish and it couldn’t be easier. I’ll never waste my time making a roux or bechamel cheese sauce again. This is WAY easier and so much better!! The eggs make this dish but you don’t even realize there’s eggs in it. Don’t make the mistake of using bagged shredded cheese though, too many preservatives. Block cheese is the only way to go. If you’re looking for that old school baked Mac and cheese this is the way to go!!
Jocelyn
So ooooooo delicious 😋
I have searched years for a recipe such as this one. It was do easy and quick to make. Will definitely use from here on out.
Gary White
Thanks for the review! How did you find this recipe?
Evelyn Finney
Only change is I mixed icheese but still the amount told. This was a great macaroni and cheese
Gary White
Hi Evelyn, Thanks for the review! How did you find this recipe?
MJ Jordan
If you are looking for the real deal, southern style mac and cheese, congratulations, you've found it. This is to DIE for and it's really a simple recipe! I used my Instant Pot to cook the pasta (4 minutes using preheated water) and mix the ingredients, dumped it into a casserole dish and it really was not much more time consuming than Instant Pot mac and cheese and it is 1000x better. So good, thank you Gary for sharing!
S Mack
WOW! This is fantastic. I decided to try it because I hate making a bechamel sause (the way I was taught) when making mac and cheese. This will be the only way I make mac and cheese from now on. So much easier. This recipe is perfect! Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!
Clara Scott
Delicious ,brought back find memories of my mother homemade macaroni and cheese.the exact recipe except she used different type of cheeses .
Mandi
I found this recipe through a google search when I was craving the mac n cheese casserole I remember from when I was a kid. I shredded the cheese for the top and used just a bit less than the recipe called for. It was delicious!
Patrice
Can you mix this up the night before and bake the next day?
Gary White
So sorry for the delayed response. I don't think I'd recommend mixing it beforehand, as I think the pasta will absorb too much of the liquid.
Linda
I been trying years to get to find this way of cooling m ac n cheese. Made it for Christmas and everybody loved it. Thank God for finding your page..
Joan Farquharson
This dish was such a hit! It was my first time making it for our Easter dinner and the guests cleared the pan!
The recipe was soooo easy to follow and it was sooo yummy!
Will definitely make this again
Shay
Delicious. Had a hard time finding Kraft medium cheese here in California though. Instead I used mild and extra sharp cheddar. My mom likes as well.
Michal
EXCELLENT!!! It was delicious and I was surprised the recipe called for 6 eggs. I always use lots of eggs but had never seen it before. I only change was that I used salt and pepper instead of seasoned salt.
AMAZING!!!
Marcus
I tried this and it was EXCELLENT!
Debbie
I have been looking for a macaroni and cheese recipe made with eggs and milk like my mother used to make. This m&c recipe knocked it out of the park! It was easy to make and sooooo delicious!! Thank you for sharing the recipe. It is now my go-to recipe when making m&c.