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 is fantastic! My family loved it!
Best mac and cheese recipe ever. I’ve tried many recipes that were good but this was the best.
Are u suppose to cook the milk and condensed milk eggs. Did not say so I did not cook it just wished it
Love this recipe!! My niece wants me to make it for her wedding. Do I need to adjust everything for a large batch or just quadruple the recipe??
Also wondering if this can be frozen before it goes into oven??
Such an awesome yummy recipe!! Thanks!
Best Mac n Cheese recipe that I’ve tried so far!! Tastes almost like my grandma’s version 😊
The best Mac and Cheese recipe taste wise that I have ever made!!
I don’t know if it’s the cheeses (Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar, store brand colby jack, exra sharp and mozzarella) that I used but it was too greasy for me. I think a 1/2 stick of butter would have sufficed. I will try that next time. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.
This was my first time cooking homemade baked Mac n cheese so my family was clowning me at first; saying things like “lord help her make this Mac n cheese.” lol But let me just tell you, this was the BEST mac n cheese recipe ever! My family and I loved it; it didn’t last the whole day! My mother even said “don’t change nothing about this recipe, keep it the exact same way” and “you’ll be the baked mac n cheese person moving forward.” So if you need a recipe, this is the one to try! Sooooo delicious!!!
Oh my gosh, I’m so glad everyone liked it. So sweet of you to tell me!! We love this Mac and cheese!
My Pan is too big the macaroni filled the pan but only 2 in thick do I change cooking time for this what do I do
It should be fine, just keep an eye on it until brown and bubbly.
This might be a stupid question but when you say add the butter, sour cream and three cheeses and stir to combine well. Do you mix it with the noddles. I'm asking because your picture shows it just sitting on top then you have another picture of the shredded cheese on top. I'm making it for the first time and I'm confused lol. I'm excited to make this and don't want to mess it up.
Yes, mix it in with the noodles.
Hello how would I make this into a crock pot recipe?
I’ve never made it in the crockpot, it’s meant to be baked in the oven.
@Kelly, it should be fine in the crock pot you will just have to watch it and it won’t have that same texture as it would in the over
Hi! For the custard mixture, do you keep the stove on when you mix the milks and eggs? or off heat?
Off heat, just use the same pot for mixing.
Great recipe, I just wouldn’t add that much butter next time I make it.
@nlv, I agree. I’ll use 1/2 stick next time.
I made it and I've got to tell ya. Have everyone remove their shoes before eating.This is because they will need room to wiggle their toes while eating this dish. Thank you for this dish.
I had to come back here and leave a review. I made it for Thanksgiving. I had never made baked Mac & Cheese before. I stumbled upon this recipe which had great reviews and I must say, the reviews weren't lying! I had to improvise a little bit with the cheese, but I overall followed most instructions and the result was delicious! Thank you soooo much for sharing this amazing recipe!
YALL. Ive never had Sweetie Pies, but this has become my go to mac n cheese recipe. I make it all the time and it never lasts long. Delish, thanks so much for sharing this incredible easy recipe!