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.
This recipe looks great! But I am fixing just for myself and only need 1 to 2 serving size. How do I scale down recipe size?
Thank you,
LORNA
I'm sorry, Lorna, but I do not know how to scale this recipe down to a single serving for you. However, there are several baked macaroni and cheese for one recipes on the internet you could try searching.
@LORNA THOMAS, you could try just halving the recipe to make it less! I tried that today and it came out great.
My 13 year old daughter found this recipe and asked me to make it as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. So simple to make and it was delicious!
Thank you
My family loves my cooking but this didn't go over well. I seasoned it like I was suppose to and to us it was dry and bland. However today the day after Thanksgiving I reheated me some in the microwave and it's tastes really good. Still not as creamy as I would like it but I will tweak it next time.
ITS IN THE THE OVEN AGAIN RIGHT NOW
This Mac And Cheese is Amazing my family LOVES IT!!
I've made this Mac&Cheese several times now. I can't get enough of it! It is the BOMB!!! My grandmother is from Alton, Illinois. She raised me. I always loved her Mac&Cheese. When I saw this came from St Louis, I had to try it. Many made good M&C, but this is the best I've ever had. Thank you for bringing back a little bit of home. Good bless you, and I hope you have a great turkey day 2021🌻
If you double the recipe, do you double ALL the ingredients?
Thank you.
Hi Carol. You can double the recipe, I would only use 1 more egg, tho. You'll need a larger dish or pan and it might need to bake a little longer to brown and cook through.
Super excited about making this! I actually say Guy from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives visit the restaurant Sweetie Pies. I tried to back that show up to try and get the ingredients 🥴😉🤣
For us, way too much butter. Made it again with half the amount, and it’s a keeper!
Do you cook and drain the macaroni prior to adding the ingredients?
I have been looking for this recipe for the LONGEST! I have so much evaporated milk too. Do you think I can just use all evaporated milk instead of the whole milk too? Thank you!
Hi Cindy. I’ve only ever made the recipe as written so I would stick with both milks.
Just took down and bought the entire recipe for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see my families reaction. This is so delicious and tasty. My family originated in the south.. so they don't know how good this is YET lol thank you for posting this!!!
Hope you all love it!
Should I cover this dish with aluminum while baking?
Hi Shannon. I do not cover the casserole while baking, you want a nice golden top.
I am getting ready to go to the grocery store. Quick question about measurement. Why two of the shredded cheeses called in ounces, the other in cup?
Hi Jeanne. No reason really, that's just how I adapted the recipe.
this was really good and easy to follow . I loved how it came out . One of the first Mac and cheese recipes i copied and actually liked off the web .
I'm so glad you liked it, Renee! And thanks so much for the kind words.
When combining the butter, sour cream, Velveeta, Colby-Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses should this mixture be in the pot on medium or low heat ? Or just combined at room temperature.
Hi Angelica, just combine off heat, so yes, room temperature.