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!
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!
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.
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
