The biggest question for every family cookout is “Who is making the Mac and Cheese?”. The response will determine who actually attends and how many tray you will need to make to feed a greedy crowd. This isn’t box Mac and Cheese. This is true Southern goodness. My Dad was tasked with the duty of making the mac and cheese for every family reunion and get together and it never disappointed.
This recipe sticks mostly to his, but with a few tweaks. I added cream cheese and swapped out Monterrey Jack cheese and half of the cheddar for mozzarella and smoked gouda. The switch gives you five equally powerful levels of cheesiness, all with their own distinct signature. Everything else is standard fare. Make sure not to overbake, but if you do you can always loosen it up with a little milk. That means will have to stir it up, loosing your cheesy top crust, but it will still be good. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 8 oz. bag of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
- 8 oz. of Smoked Gouda cheese slices, cubed
- 8 oz. bag of part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 12 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 1/2 pack of cream cheese, cubed
- 1 can of Evaporated milk
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp Paprika (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 TB of butter or Cooking Spray
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray or butter an 8×11 baking dish and set aside.
Fill a large stockpot with water, add in a large pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling add in elbow macaroni and cook until just almost done. If you cook the noodles too long they will become mushy during the cooking process.
While the pasta boils, get a mixing bowl and add the following:
Evaporated milk,
Velveeta
Mozzarella
Cream Cheese
1/2 of the cheddar cheese,
1/2 of the Smoked Gouda
Add all seasoning to the bowl and mix thoroughly with a spatula until cream cheese and Velveeta started to melt into the liquid.
Give the mixture a taste. If you need more seasonings add just another pinch.
Once the noodles are done drain them and add them to your cheese mixture. Mix until the cheese is incorporated into the noodles.
Pour mixture into your dish.
Top the macaroni with the rest of the cheddar and Gouda cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the macaroni and cheese is a beautiful golden brown color. Do not cook more than 40 minutes as it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.
Let the macaroni and cheese cool for about 15 minutes or until just cool enough to serve. Serve hot so the cheese is nice and creamy.