Southern Baked Mac and Cheese

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 10 to 12 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 35 min
  • Active: 20 min
This rich and decadent baked pasta is a Southern Black staple for holidays and special occasions. Steering away from the standard stovetop mac, this version includes three kinds of cheese and bakes up like a casserole with a crispy, golden top. The addition of eggs makes it similar to a cheesy, savory custard. Warning: This is not diet food!
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Ingredients

Kosher salt

1 pound elbow macaroni

5 large eggs

3 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pound sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 pound whole-milk mozzarella, shredded

1 pound Gouda, shredded

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until 3 minutes less than fully cooked. Drain and rinse under cold water until cooled; drain well. Add the cooked pasta back to the pot. 
  3. Put the eggs, heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, ground mustard, nutmeg and a big pinch of salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the cooked pasta and stir to combine. 
  4. Toss together the Cheddar, mozzarella and Gouda in a large bowl. Add the cheeses to the pot and stir to evenly combine. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 
  5. Bake until the center of the mac and cheese is set and the top is golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. 

Let's Get Cooking!

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Jenny Wong

Made this for thanksgiving 2023 and everyone loved it. Cooked 1 pound of macaroni 3 minutes less than according to package. With the exception of the amount of cheese and salt, all other ingredients were used as stated. Salt wise, I only salted the pasta water. Cheese wise, I shredded and combined all the cheeses as the recipe stated but felt it was too thick as I was mixing it in to the pot. I might’ve used maybe 3/4 of the cheese during the mixing process. Small amount for sprinkling on top. I did prep it a few hours in advance and kept it in the fridge. I separated it into 2 baking dishes and added pepper jack cheese on the top to one of the dishes for those who can’t eat spicy. Baked it until it was golden brown at 375F. I’m not a big dairy person and I thought it was delicious. I almost didn’t use the 5 eggs the recipe suggested but decided it’s my first time making it this way…give it a try. Whether this is really “southern” mac & cheese or not…it was very delicious. Will definitely make it again.

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