Custardy baked macaroni and cheese is our favorite way to celebrate a special occasion. We came up with an easy, stir-together sauce of cream, evaporated milk and eggs, then loaded it up with sharp Cheddar. Topped with buttery breadcrumbs, the entire dish gets rich, bubbly and brown in the oven.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups panko
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 5 large eggs
- Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
- 24 ounces sharp Cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine the panko, melted butter and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain well and return to the pot.
- Whisk together the cream, mustard, cayenne, eggs, evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 2 cups of the grated Cheddar for topping. Stir the remaining Cheddar into the sauce.
- Pour the cheese mixture into the pot with the macaroni and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is warm but not hot, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the reserved Cheddar. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake until the center of the casserole is set and the top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 609 |
| Total Fat | 37 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 183 mg |
| Sodium | 477 mg |
Reviews
I love this dish. Almost like a soufflé with all the eggs. Added some chicken sausage this time. Simple and delicious!
I made this meal for my family and they loved it. I did make a few modifications. I doubled the recipe except for I used the same amount of cayenne and mustard and salt and pepper which I did not double. The result did not make me miss any of these ingredients. I also did not have enough evaporated milk so I substituted equal amount of half-and-half. In retrospect, I would have used a little less cream if doubling the recipe. I also used a lot more cheese than they suggested. I would recommend not putting cheese on top of the casserole until halfway baked. And then covering it with foil and removing the foil the last 10 minutes. Also, I did not put any Panko bread topping. My family does not like the topping so I left it off and just put cheese. This is a very custardy Eggy type of macaroni and cheese. It is very hearty and rich but very delicious. It reminds me of the old fashion baked macaroni and cheese my mom made me as a child.
A winner for our family! I used half and half vs heavy cream and 3 eggs and it was terrific. My kids are happy to have loads of leftovers.
I will absolutely make this again. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so it was a bit different. For starters I halved the recipe. I used half and half instead of cream, didn’t have evaporated milk- so I used coconut milk instead, and I didn’t have the brand of cheese nor did I have only cheddar but it was mostly cheddar. Oh and I used two eggs in case you cut it in half- that was just fine. Anyhow, it was delicious. I feel like I didn’t follow this enough to warrant a review but it was so good I felt the need to share! It still had some creaminess and definitely had a wonderful crunch from the Panko! My husband loved it too!