Macaroni and Cheese Pie is a staple of all good Southern family dinners, church dinners and socials.
Two things that are important to the end result: use canned milk; and follow the directions for the milk/egg mixture: For some who may not know, it is mandatory to add a little of the heated milk to the beaten eggs as described to 'condition' the eggs to the hotter temperature. If you just 'dump' the cold eggs into the hot mixture, the yolks will cook, and you will have a mess. Stir constantly as milk has a tendency to scald if the temperature is too hot. Once the mixture begins to form tiny bubbles around the edges in the pot, it is simmering. Do not boil. continue to stir constantly and, if necessary, remove from heat and lower temperature. When the milk/egg mixture coats the spoon, you are ready to proceed to the next step, in my opinion. And, if you don't understand the term 'coating the spoon' it means that when you take the spoon from the pot, a coating of the mixture should remain on the spoon. You don't want the sauce to be thick - it will reduce/thicken as it bakes in the oven. This is my go-to mac n cheese recipe henceforth. I had been looking for a recipe that incorporated eggs, and I found perfection in this recipe--at least for my taste. Absolutely the best mac n cheese I have ever made. Thanks to dameionec for shartin!
Read MoreI am not an expert chef, but I enjoy cooking, watch a LOT of "Food Network" and consider myself a fairly knowledgeable cook, but I made a startling discovery when making this recipe that I felt I should share. To the purists- I always read the reviews first and adjust accordingly. I reduced the pepper to 1.5 tsp. - I only used 2 eggs, and I added 2 tsp of sugar. After carefully following the directions for the roux, I then added the cheese into the sauce so that it was all melted together in a yummy sauce, then added the pasta, stirred, and moved over into the 9x13 baking dish. The pasta was absolutely swimming in the sauce. I clearly did not have enough. I went back and cooked 2 more cups of the pasta, added it, then baked. It was delicious. But what the heck was the problem with the amount of pasta? I assumed the problem to be the fact that I substituted "mini farfalle (bowties) in place of the elbow mac. I then ran a search and LO AND BEHOLD – I found a pasta conversion chart! WHAT? I can't believe I've never seen or heard anything about the need to make adjustments based on a pasta substitution.
Read MoreTwo things that are important to the end result: use canned milk; and follow the directions for the milk/egg mixture: For some who may not know, it is mandatory to add a little of the heated milk to the beaten eggs as described to 'condition' the eggs to the hotter temperature. If you just 'dump' the cold eggs into the hot mixture, the yolks will cook, and you will have a mess. Stir constantly as milk has a tendency to scald if the temperature is too hot. Once the mixture begins to form tiny bubbles around the edges in the pot, it is simmering. Do not boil. continue to stir constantly and, if necessary, remove from heat and lower temperature. When the milk/egg mixture coats the spoon, you are ready to proceed to the next step, in my opinion. And, if you don't understand the term 'coating the spoon' it means that when you take the spoon from the pot, a coating of the mixture should remain on the spoon. You don't want the sauce to be thick - it will reduce/thicken as it bakes in the oven. This is my go-to mac n cheese recipe henceforth. I had been looking for a recipe that incorporated eggs, and I found perfection in this recipe--at least for my taste. Absolutely the best mac n cheese I have ever made. Thanks to dameionec for shartin!
I am not an expert chef, but I enjoy cooking, watch a LOT of "Food Network" and consider myself a fairly knowledgeable cook, but I made a startling discovery when making this recipe that I felt I should share. To the purists- I always read the reviews first and adjust accordingly. I reduced the pepper to 1.5 tsp. - I only used 2 eggs, and I added 2 tsp of sugar. After carefully following the directions for the roux, I then added the cheese into the sauce so that it was all melted together in a yummy sauce, then added the pasta, stirred, and moved over into the 9x13 baking dish. The pasta was absolutely swimming in the sauce. I clearly did not have enough. I went back and cooked 2 more cups of the pasta, added it, then baked. It was delicious. But what the heck was the problem with the amount of pasta? I assumed the problem to be the fact that I substituted "mini farfalle (bowties) in place of the elbow mac. I then ran a search and LO AND BEHOLD – I found a pasta conversion chart! WHAT? I can't believe I've never seen or heard anything about the need to make adjustments based on a pasta substitution.
Just like what Grandma used to make! If the other reviewer had lumpy sauce they didn't culture the eggs as instructed 1 Tablespoon at a time. I have been looking for a Mac n Cheese recipe like my Grandmother made and this is as close as I remember. Thanks for sharing!
This was fantastic! I used the dish it called for, but in doing so, was unable to make all of the layers! I topped with just a little bit of bread crumbs and it was amazing, even microwaved the second time! I think next time I will use an 8 inch square pan instead! Oh, and just a little heads up, even on heat setting three, it took a little while for it to start to thicken up, but hang in there, it's totally worth it!!
All is well and good but try topping this dish with some toasted buttered bread crumbs. Before baking the dish, simply melt about a table spoon + of butter in a small frying pan, Add about a cup of regular bread crumbs and lightly brown (toast)the bread crumbs. Spread or sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs on top of the casserole and bake as directed. A simple step but it does add another layer of flavor and texture to the dish.
Taste great but more work than is needed in MHO. My family recipe is very much the same, but instead of all that work, you just cook the noodles al dente, then layer with: first a little cheese, then noodles, salt,pepper, pats butter, layer of cheese. Continue layering until at the top of the dish. Wisk the eggs with the milk, then pour over the entire top. (Depending on depth of dish, may not have enough liquid,but then just mix up more eggs and milk. Liquid should be showing about 3/4 inch below surface of cheese/noodles. Bake and enjoy! This has been a family recipe for years, and so delicious and easy! (I actually have been substituting skim milk, and also evaporated skim milk, and works just as well. Regular skim milk just needs to cook a little longer until bubbling and can tell it is finished when center, when pulled aside by a fork, is not "milk" consistency but rather looks like half-cooked scrambled eggs).
I didn't have chedder cheese so i used velvetta and this is so yummy and so easy , will make it a regular at our table :)
I would give this a 5 starminus the eggs. I'm from the south and use velveta cheese in replacement of the eggs I boil the velveta with milk in a sauce pan until its thick creamy. Than I pour the sauce over the half cooked macaroni be careful not to fully cook the shells. its going in the oven and will be overcooked. I like monteray jack and mexican cheese with this recipe. or if your not a yellow cheese person try this recipe with the 5 white cheeses of your choice makes a whole of difference.
Finally back to review this one mainly because I am making it again and making some changes. My family loved the original recipe. This time I changed the cheese a little by using two cups of real cheddar and two cups of velvetta. At the end I added a bit of shredded colby jack and bread crumbs to the top. Mmmmm
The BEST mac-n-cheese recipe I have made so far, and easy!!!! Here are the modifications I made and it turned out perfect: - used one teaspoon of pepper instead of 1 tablespoon - used more cheese (8 ounces of cheddar, 16 ounces of sharp cheddar-- I saved about 1 cup of the sharp cheddar until the end to sprinkle on top of the whole dish - added cubes of smoked ham YUUMMY FLAVOR! - I didn't do the layering in the pan, I just mixed all the ingredients into the big pot with the egg/milk mixture - I didn't use regular salt, I just sprinkled Lawry's seasoning salt after all the ingredients were mixed in the big pot, to taste, right before I poured it all into the baking pan -I had to cook about 25-30 minutes in my oven My family really enjoyed it!!!
My family is from the deep south - many generations so good southern cooking is something we take pride in. Thinking maybe I should change things up a bit, I made this recipe exctly as stated. I think the black pepper was WAY too much and ovrewhelming. The eggs made an odd consistency to the dish. Will not make this or recommend it to others. Sorry
I thought this was very good. My gauge is if the sauce is nice and creamy and this certainly was creamy. I did replace the cheddar with Velveeta as that is my comfort cheese for mac and cheese. I also added my cheese to the milk/butter mixture and just put it all in one large corning wear casserole and it fit perfectly. One reviewer commented that the eggs made the cheese sauce weird and lumpy. If you follow the instructions and add the egg a Tablespoon at a time, the eggs won't get lumpy. It is time consuming so don't rush that step. This is a great recipe and goes well with ham. I brought it to a New Years Eve party where ham was the main dish and it was received very well.
I have made this recipe multiple times, adding my personal changes each time and it never disappoints. To the people giving this bad ratings because of the consistency... You aren't doing it right, plain and simple.
Wow - really good. Based on prior reviews, i only put in 1 tsp of pepper. I also left out the paprika - mostly because I forgot it. Second time I made it, I ran out of cheddar, so I used half velveeta and half cheddar. I melted the velveata in the evap milk mixture. then I just mixed everything together and dumped in the baking pan. Much easier and just as good.
My family really liked this dish. Real comfort food. Thanks for sharing this and I loved the video!
My boyfriend is a very picky eater but he loved this mac and cheese and I even forgot to add the second can of milk and added two bags of cheese and it came out great!
I love this recipe because there is not many ingredients and just so happened to have them on hand while in a hurry to make a side dish!!! My family LOVED it! I have several different recipes for Mac and cheese but I do believe this is the best one!!! Thanks!!!
It's real good however I need an alternative to using eggs, at least for me. My ladies can't eat eggs so they didn't enjoy it as much as I did. Still great recipe.
I love macaroni and this was amazing! The crust was lovely, the pasta was textured nicely, and soooo much cheese! Will make this again for sure!
Eggs gave the cheese sauce a weird, lumpy texture. Wasn't horrible but wasn't good either. Wouldn't make it again.
This is a tasty recipe but a huge kick from the black pepper. I tempered the eggs but still got the cottage cheese texture after baking. I'm looking for a creamy macaroni and cheese recipe.
This is exactly the recipe I was looking for! Great consistency, bakes up really well, nice and cheesy.
came out great i did everything exactly and added crushed cheez its on top 4 cruch now a family favorite.
I'm sharing my review only because it may help others to learn from my mistakes... This was a big fat fail for me unfortunately. I'm just thankful I didn't prepare it for company. I have always been curious about egg based mac and cheese and decided to give this a try. I used 1 can of evaporated milk, and 1 can milk/cream mixture. Mistake #1? I used a mild cheddar cheese - maybe my cheese wasn't a very good melting cheese...Mistake #2? My egg/butter mixture looked fine when I mixed in the macaroni, maybe just slightly lumpy. But once I layered and baked it it came out awful... not creamy or cheesy at all. The macaroni looked plain boiled pasta alongside chunks of ricotta cheese lumps. It was a sad waste of 4 cups of cheese. I did follow the directions to temper the the egg mixture, really took my time with that, but I may have messed up waiting for it to thicken as I let it bubble for a minute while re-reading the recipe. Mistake #3? Well all these mistakes resulted in a tray of unsalvageable pasta. I am going back to my usual roux based macaroni and cheese. It seems more forgiving and always provides the creamy cheesy dish I'm looking for.
My husband said it was better than any Mac & Cheese he’s had in a restaurant. I topped it with Panko dotted with butter. Yummy!
I used a blend of mild cheddar, sharp cheddar and white because I love the taste blend.
This is the closes recipe that I can find that compares with my husband's grandmother's recipe (Mema). It is so southern and so good!!!
I made this today. LOVE IT... I bought smoked gruyere and vermont cheddar cheese. I shredded them and followed the directions as written EXCEPT, I DIDN'T USE ANY PEPPER OR PAPRIKA. I did however use 1 reviews suggestion of browning up some breadcrumbs and topped it off with that. This isn't the cheesy type of mac n cheese but that's alright with me. The smoked gruyere was perfect. Thanks for sharing!!!
This is my second time making this, last time I did not use egg, evaporated milk or paprika, I had used 2% milk, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, and the other ingredients minus egg and paprika. It came out pretty great but this time I made with the exact ingredients minus the egg(NOT A FAN OF IT) I know it will come out tasting even better again.
My granddaughters loved my macaroni and cheese. Easy to follow instructions (I'm an instruction cooker), just perfect . Thank you Sheila
I followed this recipe exactly and was not a fan of the final product. The amount of butter made the final product too rich and greasy . I, like other reviewers found the texture odd and like ricotta cheese and though I layered the cheese as specified it did not seem that after baking, that the cheese ever integrated with the milk and egg mixture . The final product was just not very tasty and nothing like traditional macaroni and cheese.
This dish is terrific, but by no means healthy. I halfed the recipe & it was plenty as a side dish for 4 adults.
I've tried every Mac and cheese recipe there is, this is the easiest you'll find, and still get the taste your looking for. It was delicious.
Tough to make correctly. Requires a lot of babysitting while cooking and then ends up too eggy.
I made it the first time as described, but I had the weird egg mixture texture that some others referred to, even after tempering the eggs. Also, I thought that there wasn't enough macaroni. When I remade it, I increased the amount of macaroni to three and a half cups. I mixed the butter (not melted) in with the strained hot macaroni. While alternating the layers of the buttered macaroni and the cheese (ending with the cheese), I sprinkled the salt and pepper between each layer. Then, I just mixed the egg and milk at room temperature and poured them together into the pan with the macaroni and cheese. This turned out much better.
Excellent!! I have had a hard time making mac & cheese in the oven this recipe is perfect.
I would use one less egg next time - it's a lil to quiche like. I also added crisp extra thick but bacon- delicious!
Made this for Thanksgiving. My boyfriend's favorite food is homemade mac and cheese. This was a major hit. Everyone was asking for the recipe. It's so simple and absolutely warms the soul. Thanks for a great comfort food recipe :)
The recipe I've been looking for.... I added about a tsp Dijon and tsp garlic and tsp smoked paprika..... So addictive. Love the crispy cheese edges.
I'm so glad I found this recipe. I'm sure it didn't need changed at all, but I did a little. I followed other's ideas of reducing the pepper and used a couple different cheeses. I used sharp cheddar, pepper jack and a cheddar onion type cheese. It came out delicious! The one thing I'll remember for next time though, is to use a different pan. I used a lasagna pan, it wasn't a great idea. My mac-n-cheese is flat LOL!
As written, I would give this four stars. With my changes, definitely 5! Just melt some American cheese (or Velveeta or some other smooth melting cheese) into the mixture and then layer with the cheddar. I had never made a sauce for macaroni this way before, and it is definitely the best. If you add a little more liquid, this can also successfully be cooked in the crock pot!
I have made this a bunch of times. I love it and whole family enjoys it. Only thing I changed after following recipe exactly the first time is I use less pepper now and I prefer half chedder cheese and half monterey Jack cheese.
I made this for my West Virginia born father-in-law for his birthday. He and my husband and kids kept saying how amazing it was. I am not a homemade macaroni and cheese fan at all, but I thought it was OK.
It’s really good and my family liked it, though I would use more like half a tablespoon of pepper next time.
I thought this was very good. I made the mistake of pouring a little of liquid out ( I thought there was too much)... when I make again I will leave all the liquid as mine was a little dry.
Very good as is, the only thing I added was a few pinches of cayenne powder. I also used pipe rigate pasta too.
I'm a northerner transplanted in the south and I received raving compliments from my southern friends on this macaroni pie. Several asked for the recipe. Thank you to UNCgal for the clarification of conditioning the eggs - that was a big help. Thank you dameionec for the delicious recipe!
I love this recipe, although I only use two eggs three is too many. Unfortunately the kids do not like it with eggs so I seldom get to make it.
Good. I mixed some america into the sauce mixture then added shedded Mexican cheese blend in between layers. Crumbled leftover stuffing as bread crumbs on top. Looked good, tasted good!
I used 2 eggs, buttered bread crumbs on top and another cup of pasta. Baked in a casserole dish the way my Mother used to...delicious! I added a few more spices; onion and garlic powders. This will probably be my go-to recipe from now on.
I thought I'd try something different and tried this recipe. The custardy thickness of this dish was not well received by the family. We prefer a creamier sauced version.
my family loved it! i made it as part of our thanksgiving meal, and we are very picky about thanksgiving... so, i was nervous, but it was a HIT!
I’ve used this recipe many times but with a major modification. I do not do all the steps to make sauce. Layer cooked macaroni, then cheese in greased pan. Mix the milk, salt, white pepper, and whisked eggs together. Pour over macaroni and cheese. Stir thoroughly and cover to bake. Remove foil for last 15
This is not even creamy...if this was at any church picnic I'd be out the door. I make mine with regular milk and it's smooth and creamy. This was chunky...i tried it twice thinking I missed or rushed something the first time. Nope...just nasty.
This was interesting. I happen to love regular macaroni and cheese, and had never heard of this style, with eggs and evaporated milk. I made it exactly as written. I wasn't sure if the macaroni should have been 2 cups by volume, or by weight, but I figured by volume, and it seemed to have been the right choice. I was a little hesitant about the differentness of this (for example, the evaporated milk turning into somewhat of a ricotta-like texture), and actually enjoyed the reheated leftovers more. I'm not sure whether the "layering" technique was necessary, though, as it pretty much all seemed to blend together. This was decent, but I'm not sure I'd make it again instead of a more conventional mac-and-cheese dish.
Halved the recipe, followed directions exactly and read top reviews about tempering the egg in. I should have maybe mixed the cheese in with everything instead of layering? Nothing was Creamy after baking it. It was cooked noodles, scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese mixed in. The taste was fine. The consistency did not work out for me. I'm sure it might work out for others, but I'm going to stick to a flour roux recipe from now on.
So I had seen other comments saying that chunks were in it and stuff, and someone said just read the directions carefully. So I did everything it called for and paid attention to detail during the egg part. After I had completed all the steps it was still chunky, and not very thick. So I thought it might thicken it up in the over, it did... a little. I tasted it and you couldn't taste the cheese at all, it was very over-powered by the pepper. I knew a whole tablespoon of pepper didn't sound right, but I did it anyway. I added an extra whole bag of cheese and it tasted okay, but the pepper still kept over-powering it. Also, the eggs in it were terrible, it was like scrambled eggs in mac n cheese. Like I said before I did EVERYTHING it called for. Pretty disappointing after seeing all the good reviews. Do I recommend it? No.
This was the macaroni and cheese that finally pleased the whole family. We are not fans of a lot of black pepper, so I just put in a few grinds from the peppermill. I figured the salt from the salted butter and the cheese would be enough to flavor the dish, so I did not salt the water for the macaroni, nor did I add salt to the sauce. Instead of tempering the eggs in the warm sauce, I melted the butter, then added the room temperature canned milk and refrigerator temperature beaten eggs all at once, stirring constantly as the sauce warmed, and turning off the flame when the sauce coated the spoon. This method worked just fine, and there was no danger of the eggs curdling. As was suggested in another rating, I added buttered breadcrumbs to the top before baking. This is definitely worth repeating. Second try-- Tore up 3 slices of day old bread into very small bits and stirred them around in melted butter/a little oil. Placed the bread crumbs on top of the casserole before placing in the oven. Nice final touch.
This wasn’t the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever had. Egg/milk mixture worked well but finished product was still not as creamy as it should have been. Probably won’t make this again.
I made this exactly as the recipe calls for. It was outstanding. Quite possibly the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Certainly the best I've ever made. Will DEFINITELY make again.
I doubled this recipe and it was amazing. Next time I might add ham or broccoli to the macaroni mixture.
This was the second time I made this Mac and it's been at the request of my girls for their birthday dinners. I fried up a pound of bacon and crumbled it atop before baking. It's a huge hit! Best recipe!
This turned out great. Very tasty!
Truly delicious. The only thing I did different is I do not add a tablespoon at a time to the egg, only a pot spoon amount.
This was a good recipe but I would use less pepper because it was very overwhelming with what the amount ingredients called for! I was also expecting something more creamos it was a little dry for me! I'll try to switch a couple things next time I make it and see from there!
I made no changes to the recipe. What I will do next time is try a different pasta style rather than regular elbows.
I used 2 eggs instead of 3 and I mixed-up cheese, sauce and noodles in a bowl before putting it in baking pan, than topped with more cheese. Turned out wonderful and so tastey. Thanks for yummy recipe.
I'm from South Louisiana and this is my favorite childhood food. It is 99.9% what my Mom-ma Al would make every sunday. Only difference is she would add just a touch of sugar. Thank you for giving this dish back to me and my family. Every time I make it for a gathering, someone always says this is Mom-ma Al's recipe.... And the stories about her start up.... And all the memories just come back.
It was definitely a hit at the family gathering! And it reminded me of my Southern roots!
This was DELICIOUS!! I added some cheese to the sauce mixture which really made it taste amazing! This is a great recipe and easy to follow.
It was a hit! I will be making this again for Christmas. The only thing I would do though is add different types of cheese (Italian 6 cheese blend) on the layers, and cheddar on top. I am also going to add bread crumbs or potato chips to the top for some extra crunch... but it was perfect.
This was a very good recipe I did not change a thing this time but will definitely be making it again and I have some ideas to try
Great recipe! My family loved it. I add half cup if extra cheese. A little less pepper. Fantastic.
Made this three times now. Make sure you follow the directions with the egg EXACTLY as they are stated otherwise it just doesn't turn out very well (like my first attempt). The second attempt was amazing and everyone had 2nd servings. My third attempt I ventured out and added bacon to the recipe and it was even better. If you follow the recipe as its written you really can't lose.
We love this at our house and bring it to holiday gatherings all the time! If we want it to be a "main dish" we cook up some bacon and toss it in, delicious!
Not enough macaroni!!! please add more. I made this for Easter.. and the sauce is enough for more macaroni. Feeds about 5-6 people with the 2 cups macaroni.
OMG! This is the real deal! I'm a Southern Girl and I know good mac and cheese when I eat it. The only thing I did differently was use only 1 Tsp. black pepper and I crushed four saltine crackers in between each layer; used no paprika. I used Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar cheese. This recipe is a keeper!
I love mac and cheese, and I enjoy trying new ways to make it. I followed this recipe EXACTLY, but was NOT thrilled by it. I understood the necessity to slowly add the eggs in and constantly whisk them on low heat. That turned out as it was supposed to. I just did not enjoy the end result. I feel the eggs overpowered the dish, making it taste more like glorified scrambled eggs, rather than a creamy mac and cheese. After I baked it, all the butter in the dish pooled on the top of the casserole, making it rather greasy. I had to drain it off. IF I were to make this again, I would half the amount of butter, use at least one less egg, and add 1-2 cups more cheese.
Truly delicious. Even better reheated next day. I'll be passing this recipe on, but only for my REALLY good friends.
I have made this twice and everybody in the house loves it. I don't care for it because I have never been fond of mac and cheese, but if I am going to eat it, it needs to be baked. I make it for two cutting everything in half but using two eggs. Like I said, almost everybody loves it :)
