My grandma’s macaroni and cheese is the best of all time — one taste, and I’m pretty sure you’ll agree. The high egg content means it’ll bake up almost like a soufflé. For the best results, make sure the pasta and custard mixture are not hot before stirring in the shredded and cubed cheeses. That’ll keep them both intact. I also recommend letting the mac ‘n’ cheese stand 15 minutes (or longer) so you can cut it into wedges.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking dish
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Three 8-ounce blocks extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded
- One 8-ounce block sharp Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the foil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.
- Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the package directions in boiling salted water. Drain the pasta and return to the pasta pot or pour into the prepared baking dish. Add the butter and stir until combined.
- Whisk together the evaporated milk, heavy cream, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl; add to the macaroni. Set aside 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar for the top. Stir in the remaining shredded cheese and cubed cheese. Sprinkle the reserved shredded cheese evenly over the top.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil (coat the underside with nonstick cooking spray). Bake until the pasta is bubbly, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is browned, 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 771 |
| Total Fat | 55 g |
| Saturated Fat | 31 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 244 mg |
| Sodium | 602 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 771 |
| Total Fat | 55 g |
| Saturated Fat | 31 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 244 mg |
| Sodium | 602 mg |
Reviews
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I subbed out one brick of the cheddar for monterey jack for the creaminess. I did reduce the eggs to 3 eggs instead of 6. It was actually even better leftover the next day. I’m making it again for Christmas and will make/bake it Christmas Eve and reheat it on Christmas day. It is so good!
Awful recipe, it taste more like a breakfast casserole, it’s very dry.. mine is very creamy a delicious. This recipe sucks!!!
Delicious recipe and easy to make!
This is by far one of the best mac-n-cheese recipes. I cut the recipe in half and it was still PLENTY. Still had enough for 7-8 servings. This is a keeper.
My sons love my mac and cheese. I thought I’d give Kardea’s method a try to compare. They loved this one too. I read one review where the person said it was bland. I always season to taste before adding eggs – as one cook’s taste buds are different from another. I also substituted some pepper jack cheese for one of the bricks of cheddar to give it a little more flavor. For the brick cut into cubes, I used velveeta. This makes a large pan of firm mac and cheese, not the soupy or loose kind.
I wanted to try this custard method and while I did like the texture, I found it to be a bit bland. If I make again I will add some dry mustard and paprika.
For a larger scale, would you double the ingredients?
This is similar to how my mom used to make hers. Only thing is, I feel that is quite a lot of eggs. I will prepare it, but not 6 eggs.
Delicious!! Similar to mine but more eggs. I also add about 1/4-1/3 cup of sour cream. Not a fan of roux based mac n cheese. This is definitely a keeper. I put it together the night before and refrigerate unbaked then bake it when I’m ready to serve.
In this episode she uses 6 eggs. This recipe only calls for 2? I’m definitely going to try this but unsure of how many eggs to use.