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.
Wow
1st time making homemade Mac & cheese. This was AMAZING. It does make quite a bit, it was 3 adults and 1 child and we had close to half a pan left. Hopefully it's good reheated.
Loved it!
Reheats are great!
Hi I really want to try this but would it still come out the same if I didn't add the sour cream to it
Hi Wendy, I’ve only ever made it with the sour cream so I can’t say what it will be like without it.
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes, make sure it cools completely and then wrap well and freeze in small portions.
Once baked can this be frozen in small batches?
Yes, make sure it cools completely and then wrap well and freeze in small portions.
This is a killer Mac n Cheese! We did a southern inspired Thanksgiving last year and this dish was a show-stopper! We use it with smoked meats and collards throughout the year too! And the kids ask for it on birthdays!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Drew! I'm so glad your family loves it!
8-10 oz of pasta wasn't enough. I had to use 24 oz. But other than that, this is my go-to macaroni and cheese recipe. I've made it several times. Thank you! It's a big hit with my family.
Do u cover it when baking? After cooking the pasta, next step says to add other ingredients to the pot? Are you actually heating this ingredients?
Hi Bridget, no, do not cover while baking, you want it to get brown on top. Just mix the ingredients in the same pot, do not heat. It saves you a separate mixing bowl to clean.
Do you use a 16 oz box of macaroni?
I use 10 ounces of dry macaroni noodles for this recipe, you could probably use up to 12 ounces, but 16 ounces is too much.
I made this for my daughter's party, and it was a hit! Two large pans. I came home to less than half the pan, and it was gone the next day! I love it and making it again tonight!
Fantastic, Deena! So glad to hear it was a hit at the party. It's such a great thing to make for gatherings, everybody loves it!
This was definitely a hit. I myself do not eat Mac and cheese, but a lover of it requested I make it. After reading the reviews on this one I went for it. From what I’m told it was amazing. Thank you for allowing others to share and enjoy your recipe.
You are very welcome, India. I am so glad you tried my recipe and it was well received!
Also 5 stars! forgot that in my original posting...
I made this for a neighborhood potluck and it was a huge success! I added green chiles to it and everyone was raving about it. So now I have the best mac and cheese on the block thanks to your guidance with the recipe!
Awesome Kara! I bet it was so good with green chiles!
This is the BEST mac & cheese recipe we have ever made! You got this one SPOT ON! And there is no need to add or change anything! The only thing we do is double it and add a panko topping! I am making it for the 2nd time and can't wait to share it for my father in law's 90th birthday today! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Lori! Hope your father in law enjoyed it, too!
OMG…. This recipe is awesome! I have thrown out all other Mac and cheese recipes. This is delicious and it didn’t use weird ingredients like cottage cheese, ground mustard, ricotta… the trick is to shred the cheese yourself… it makes all the difference
Thanks, Christina! I'm so glad you liked it. I agree, shredding the cheese yourself is always better for melting, I just hate doing it. I usually recruit my husband for all cheese shredding!
This was very delicious! Amazing flavor. I am wondering if I messed up somewhere along the way though. The inside was a bit…clumpy? Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. I’ll definitely make it again!
I'm glad you liked it, Chase. As far as clumpy goes, maybe try cubing the Velveeta on the small side and mix well so it melts better and more evenly.