Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Creamy baked southern-style macaroni and cheese, a cheesy baked casserole and soul food classic.
I've lived in St. Louis for some time now, and as I've said before, it's very "southern" here in terms of cooking. One of our favorite soul food restaurants had the best mac and cheese, and that would be Sweetie Pie's. Miss Robie's recipe is easily found on the web and the local paper has published a paired down recipe for the home cook.
I'm pretty sure the location we went to in The Grove neighborhood has closed and I don't understand all the drama surrounding the closing. It was the subject of a reality TV show at one point. I just know we went often and always, always had her macaroni and cheese.
What is southern macaroni and cheese?
It's basically a custard-style baked macaroni and cheese with eggs and evaporated milk. This version uses three kinds of cheese and butter and a little sour cream. It bakes up creamy but firm, hearty and filling and absolutely delicious.
How to make this soul food classic
It's really easy, here's how:
- Cook and drain elbow macaroni and place in baking dish or pan.
- Make the custard mixture by whisking together milk, evaporated milk and eggs and some seasoning, pour mixture over macaroni.
- Add the butter, sour cream and three cheeses and stir to combine well.
- Top with more grated cheese and bake until bubbly and top is browned.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- People swear by Velveeta in this recipe, do not use a substitute. Miss Robie herself uses only Velveeta.
- While pre-packaged shredded cheese works fine, grating your own is the better option. It just melts better.
- It's going to be oily on top after baking, that's how it is with real cheeses and butter. If you think it's excessive, blot some up with a paper towel while it rests. I do sometimes.
- Reheats are great, just pop in the microwave.
- This is filling and hearty enough to serve as the main dish but most often it is a side dish. It's unbelievably good alongside collard greens and fried chicken!
Delicious soulful macaroni and cheese, doesn't get any better than this. A real treat and labor of love for Sunday supper and the holiday table. Trust me on this one! Kelly🍴🐦
Try these collard greens in the Instant Pot for some more traditional soul food.
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Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 ounces elbow macaroni
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1½ teaspoons white pepper
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ pound Velveeta, cut into small chunks
- 8 ounces shredded Colby-Jack cheese or 4 ounces Colby and 4 ounces Monterey Jack
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Bring large pot of water to boil and then salt generously. Cook macaroni just shy of package directions, al dente. Drain well and place in 9" by 13" baking dish or pan.
- In same pasta pot, whisk together whole milk, evaporated milk, eggs, salt, pepper and sugar until combined. Pour mixture over cooked macaroni in pan.
- Add butter, sour cream, Velveeta, Colby-Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses. Stir to combine well and top evenly with shredded mild cheddar.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let rest 10 minutes or so before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- People swear by Velveeta in this recipe, do not use a substitute. Miss Robie herself uses only Velveeta.
- While pre-packaged shredded cheese works fine, grating your own is the better option. It just melts better.
- It’s going to be oily on top after baking, that’s how it is with real cheeses and butter. If you think it’s excessive, blot some up with a paper towel while it rests. I do sometimes.
- Reheats are great, just pop in the microwave.
- This is filling and hearty enough to serve as the main dish but most often it is a side dish. It’s unbelievably good alongside collard greens and fried chicken!
Nutrition
*Inspired by Sweetie Pie's, St. Louis and adapted from STL Post-Dispatch.
Love it. It is now the only mac and cheese recipe I am cooking to serve with our brisket.
So glad you like it!
I forgot to mention that if you want an amazing topping for this or any casserole, take two tablespoons of melted butter and mix it with one cup of Panko crumbs, or bread crumbs. I also use celery salt instead of regular
I have been making a slight variation of this forever and it is a hit anywhere anytime and never any leftovers. I myself do not care for Velveeta, it's a personal choice. I also do not add sugar or sour cream, although I may try it, and I use four eggs instead of three. I use Mexican seasoned cheese, and you can also try Italian or any seasoned cheese for a nice change. (I'm one of those odd folks that doesn't care for cheddar or any orange cheese) I didn't have evaporated milk, but I had heavy cream that I use for my coffee, so I used that. I also add a teaspoon of ground mustard and a teaspoon of onion powder. I almost always make small variations to any recipe I use. This egg custard mac and cheese is just fabulous.
Absolutely love this recipe, always a big hit!!
I want to take it to our block party. If I double it, do I need to do anything differently?
Thanks,
Vicki
Hi Vicki, just add one more egg when you double it, otherwise double everything else. Hope that helps.
@Kelly Wildenhaus, It does, thanks so much!!
2 questions:
-should the milk/egg mixture be heated before pouring over the macaroni?
-does the addition of the sugar give the final dish a sweet taste?
Thank you!
Hi Michelle. No need to heat the milk/egg mixture. The sugar does not make the dish taste sweet, just balances the sharp cheese.
My son always asked for a different Mac and cheese recipe. I tried this for the first time. The next day called and requested the leftovers (which was very little) . Texted later that this was the best I’ve made. This is my new go to recipe.
Listen. You have to grate the cheeses. Don’t buy pre shredded cheese. The people who complained probably used pre-grated cheese. This is the very best Mac and cheese. I have made fancy Mac and cheeses and regular Mac and cheeses, but about 4 years ago I made this Mac and cheese and No One lets me come to a big meal without this. All kinds of friends and family members also only make this Mac and cheese now. So.. 5 stars that are accurate and actually deserved.
Easy and destined to be a family favorite
I put everything together tonight, and it’s in the fridge. I will be popping it in the oven tomorrow for a July 4th cookout. So far, my gripe is that the recipe doesn’t really specify if the milk mixture should be heated up before poured in the baking dish. One thing I noticed is that when I poured the milk mixture in the pan that the pasta cooked in (I did take it off the heat, FYI), the pan was still so hot that the eggs in the mixture began to cook and solidify. So stopped pouring it in and just decided to simply pour the cold milk mixture in with the noodles. Obviously this made it more difficult for the cheeses to melt once I added them to the baking pan. I’m hoping it turns out OK. I’m really excited to try it! I’m trying so hard to copy a recipe that I had at a catered party.
@Cheyenne, I mean all I can say is you should have mixed the eggs with the milk together until well blended, Then slowly pour into the warm PAN with the cheeses.
@Cheyenne, I don't pour mine into a warm pan. I put the noodles, which I rinse with cool water so they don't clump from the starch, into the bowl in which I mixed the milk, eggs and seasonings. The cheese melts just fine when you bake it, no need to heat it beforehand.
What can I use in place of the valeta cheese
You can use American cheese, I prefer it from the store deli, not prepackaged.
@Athena, I'm not fond of Velveeta at all. I use Mexican seasoned coarse shredded cheese, and you can also use any of the pre-seasoned variety, but to me, the Mexican is perfect for a Southern dish.
@Kelly Wildenhaus, do you use the same amount as the velveeta?
Best mac n cheese recipe i’ve made! Sticking with this recipe for the rest of my days! thank u for sharing, very thankful!
I have always been known for making the best macaroni and cheese. This new recipe took it to an even higher level.Thank You fir the wonderful recipe.
This is the BEST....the BEST macaroni I have ever eaten...my son and grandson will only eat this macaroni...and they are so picky!
Wow, this will be the only mac and cheese recipe I make from now on. I was making dinner for my twin stepsons birthday. I was looking up ideas of sides to go along with bbq ribs that I was serving and came across your recipe. My 13 year old daughter who turns her nose up at all mac and cheese besides the blue box was devouring this. We all agreed that it was the best we've ever had.
The only two things I had to change was I was out of milk and used light cream in place of it, and I misread where it said to use white pepper and used black pepper. Other than those two differences I followed the recipe to a T. Shredding the cheeses definitely makes a big difference over using pre-shredded.
Thank you so much for this winning recipe!!
Thanks for the kind words, Kristen. Yep, shredding your own cheese is always a good call!
I’ve made this twice. The first time was for Thanksgiving. I cut the amount of butter in half and everybody said it was the best macaroni and cheese they ever had. I also used smoked Gouda for most of the cheddar. It was a major hit. I just made it again using the original recipe with the full amount of butter, and it is way too much butter. Great recipe, just halve the butter.