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.
PHENOMENAL!!!I have made a lot of baked mac and cheese recipes before and I really must tell you this is perfect in every way. My kids are not fans of biting into Velveeta (and I am not really a fan of using it - but you convinced me). I cut the pieces very very small and warmed the milk mixture (just enough to take the chill off but not boiling - you should be able to touch the liquid with your finger), then added it to the noodles. It was enough to soften the small cubes - after baking there are no noticeable cubes - but there is a flavor to the mac and cheese that I can't help but think comes from the Velveeta. The only other thing I did was add a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder. I baked mine in a large cast iron frying pan (baked for 40 minutes) - we are fans of the brown edges. One other tip I would like to add - be mindful of the amount of noodles. The recipe calls for 8-10 oz and a regular box is 16oz. Less is sometimes more - it should look loose almost thick soup). Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have finally found the holy grail of mac and cheese!
So glad you liked it, Ness!
Hi I'm planning on making this tomorrow (or technically later today now) and was wondering if you whisk the milks and other ingredients over heat or no?
No, off heat, I just use the same pot to mix it all in.
can this be made the day before if would the cooking temperature and time change?
This is my go to Mac and cheese! I love this recipe but I have to admit I do not use the Velvetta bc I dislike it. I just add the other 4 oz of sharp cheddar, it works. And the kids love it so much!
Thanks so much!
Can I make this in a cast iron skillet?
I never have, I'm not sure it would all fit. I f have a big enough skillet, you probably could.
I want to try for first time but it would be nice to do 16 oz. To double recipe may not be accurate. Why the 8 to 10 oz pasta.
Hi Vanessa. You can double the recipe and ingredients except just use one more egg. Hope that helps.
Absolutely delicious! It was the hit of the party. I did make one change. I mixed the milk mixture and the cheese all together, then poured it over the noodles. Then sprinkled the mild cheddar on the top. Would definitely make this again!
This was excellent. I cut the recipe in half. Snow day.. everyone stuck home. Dinner, two third already gone. Finicky kids loved..loved it. Used light sour cream- all that I had. Creamy, seasoned, a family pleaser.
Before when I made mac/ cheese kids complained, my better half would tell them to be thankful. Those turtle doves asked for seconds. Thank you for sharing…
Thank you, Angelia! I love hearing how everyone liked it, even finicky kiddos!
Thanks for this recipe. I made it with cavatappi for more substance and doubled the recipe. It is the best homemade mac and cheese I have ever had. I forgot the sour cream even though I bought it for this recipe. Sugar seemed like a strange ingredient, but it did something amazing to the flavor. Don't skip it!
Happy to hear you liked the mac and cheese, Cynthia! Funny how a small amount of something can make such a difference.
Great recipe...easy to follow. I also use some gruyere cheese.
Thanks, Ace. Gruyere is a great addition.
Made this for Christmas Eve, and it was soooooooo good! I have never made homemade macaroni and cheese, and I think this recipe will be my go-to whenever I do. It is dense and very filling, but every bite is so good.
Thanks for letting me know, Zach. It's a great mac and cheese recipe, we love it!
If I want to make a semi-big pan of this, do I just triple it ? And triple all the ingredients ?
You can definitely double the recipe, double all the ingredients except just add one more egg. Not sure about tripling the recipe, tou would definitely have to bake it longer.
5 stars! I did have to make 2 changes, based on what I had on hand. I used mini penne, and used provolone instead of Colby Jack. My family loved it!
I’m not sure why, but the custard aspect of it gave off a bit of a “scrambled eggs” flavor. I would welcome any suggestions for how to avoid this in the future.
@Christine Summers, I think the best idea may be to temper the eggs just to avoid that happening .
I used this recipe on Thanksgiving and my family loved it,this is the first the macaroni came out perfect 🥰