How To Make Soul Food Southern Baked Mac And Cheese
First, you need to have a lot of love and soul. Got that? Okay. Let’s move on.
Now, rub down an 8 by 11 or 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Give it a good, generous layer of butter.
Next, cook macaroni pasta in the chicken broth until just under al dente. It needs to be undercooked so that it doesn’t end up mushy and overcooked in the oven.
While your macaroni is cooking, shred your cheese but save half of the cheddar and colby jack to make that bubbly, delicious browned cheese crust that everyone will want to fight over because we all know that it’s the best part!
In a large bowl, mix in all of the different cheeses, the half-and-half and heavy cream, and your spices. A little mustard powder boosts the cheese flavor, salt and black pepper are a must, garlic and onion powder, and smoked paprika for that little extra somethin’.
You can find smoked paprika in any grocery store and its flavor is such a great, smoky addition to the mac and cheese. You will not regret having some smoked paprika in your life.
Mix in the cooked macaroni pasta into the cheese, then give it a taste for seasoning. Add a little salt if needed, or pepper or garlic, whatever you want to boost up in flavor. Make sure to always taste for seasoning before moving on to adding the eggs!
Then stir the eggs into the macaroni mixture. Get it nice and well-mixed before adding it to the buttered baking dish and spreading it evenly in there.
Heres What Im Going To Teach You In This Post:
- What ingredients youll need for this mac and cheese recipe
- Step-by-step instructions for how to put everything together, plus a few tasty variations
- The best way to store leftovers if you have any!
Mac and cheese with cream cheese has a fairly short list of ingredients and is simple to prepare. Since its so easy, you may want to double the recipe to share or enjoy another meal.
Cream Cheese Dip And Crackers
Ever thought of using cream cheese as a dip instead of a spread? Do you prefer the cool, creamy texture of cream cheese to a cheese slice? Well, cream cheese can be another tasty and filling replacement for regular cheese when wanting cheese and crackers as an afternoon snack or a tray for a party.
There are all types of cream cheese dips, sweet and savory, you can use depending on the occasion and your taste preference.
For a sweet, sugar-craving solution and a satisfying snack, try making cranberry cream cheese to dip your favorite crackers in.
Sautee the cranberries in a pot with some water, raw honey, and salt to taste. Add them to the cream cheese, creating a soft, sweet mixture, and put in a pretty bowl on a tray arranged with your go-to assortment of crackers. Time for you and your guests to enjoy!
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Making Mac And Cheese Ahead Of Time
- Make as directed , transfer to baking dish and cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-2 days ahead.
- Before baking, let dish sit on counter for 30 minutes.
- Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
As a caveat, this recipe, as with most mac and cheese recipes, loses some of its creaminess when made ahead. This dish has been tested when made right away, which yields the best results.
I would increase the amount of sauce slightly if you need to make this recipe ahead of time.
More Macaroni And Cheese Recipes
This recipe is really creamy and decadent, but here are a few other macaroni and cheese recipes you might enjoy.
- Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese with Goat Cheese and Fontina is super rich and decadent. Not your average comfort food
- Macaroni and Cheese with Shaved Truffle for when you are feeling very fancy. This indulgent recipe really hits the spot, especially in winter
- Southern Mac and Cheese a shortcut recipe using store bought or homemade pimento cheese whisked into hot pasta. Easy and delicious!
- Baked Mac and Cheese This recipe uses two different cheddar cheeses for a nuanced flavor. Really tasty, topped with panko
Also Check: What To Substitute For Butter In Mac And Cheese
What Makes ‘black Folk’ Or Southern Baked Macaroni And Cheese Different
Seasoning salt is used sometimes, evaporated milk, the argument of ‘eggs vs no eggs’ always comes up, but its core is based around very simple and mostly mandatory ingredients: shredded cheese, cream or milk, short cut pasta, and loads of love. Mind you, everyone will have a different variation, though all are pretty similar besides the number of cheeses and the addition of seasoning salt.
Our mac and cheese isn’t one that we tinker with, add vegetables to, or try to make healthy. It’s rich, soulful, and sticks to your ribs. It’s nestled between the candied yams and the green beans seasoned with turkey or ham hocks on your plate, it warms your heart and brings everyone joy and everyone leaves with some in a tupperware. That’s a good mac and cheese.
Let me tell you, Essence featured my Gentleman Jack Bacon Mac and Cheese on their Instagram and the Black Caucus tore me a new one as if they’ve never seen bacon in macaroni and cheese before! As I said, mac is serious business in the African American community. I didn’t even say it was southern baked, it was just stove top!
What Makes This Dish So Creamy
It’s a balancing act. Firstly, I know that there’s a huge debate about using eggs in mac and cheese. The eggs are a binding agent which can make the mac and cheese kinda stiff .
So, to keep this recipe nice and creamy, I omitted the eggs to prevent the mac and cheese from becoming hard while baking in the oven.
Also, I added liquids with the cheese to keep this baked mac and cheese nice and creamy and cheesy. I added heavy cream and milk and a little sour cream too for added texture, tang, and cream!
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Can You Use Water Instead Of Milk In Boxed Mac And Cheese
You can replace milk with water in your pasta dish, but its not recommended. Doing that will strip away a considerable chunk of the flavor, not to mention it will be pretty watery rather than thick. If for some reason you feel that you absolutely must do this, at least try to use the water you got from boiling the noodles. It will have a small amount of starch in it for thickening. However, if you lack milk, a far superior option is to use sour cream or cream cheese.
Also Check: What You Need To Make Mac And Cheese
What Makes This The Best
Nothing beats a mornay sauce-based creamy macaroni and cheese. Nothing.It makes a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas as well as a comforting meal any time of year.
When I want macaroni and cheese, I want to taste the cheese.
I want it to be deeply flavorful and gooey and creamy and perfect.
This recipe is an updated version of the macaroni and cheese recipe I made one Thanksgiving. The only difference is that I upped the cheese-to-noodle goo ratio so it wouldnt dry out, and I left off the crushed Goldfish topping.
Ill give you the ingredients for the topping though, in case youre feeling Goldfishy.
Three types of shredding cheese plus cream cheese and sour cream all whisked into a luxurious white sauce equals one luscious, rich mornay sauce.
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History Of Rennet Use In The United States
Steve Lutzke of Chr. Hansen, a leading enzyme company, said the supply of animal rennet was consistently high through the 1970s. Since its price was reasonable, cheesemakers had no reason to look for alternatives. Consequently, the majority of cheese produced in the United States at that time was made with animal rennet.
According to Lutzke, the 1980s saw animal rennet supplies become more inconsistent, resulting in price fluctuations and even product shortages. Dave Potter of Dairy Connection, Inc., of Wisconsin, a supplier of enzymes to many cheesemakers, attributed the decline of calf rennet use in cheesemaking and the inconsistent supplies of the animal enzyme to the faltering veal industry, which became more unstable in the 70s due to the animal protection movement. Rennet produced by microbial fermentation became more available. Approximately half of all rennet used in the 80s was microbial.
Give Cottage Cheese A Try
When you’re considering which cheeses to use for your extra creamy mac and cheese, you might want to consider adding in some cottage cheese. It’ll make the sauce extra creamy and extra cheesy without complicating the overall flavor profile too much. Again, you’ll want some with a tiny bit of fat if possible for the creamiest, richest sauce, but if you can’t swing cottage cheese with fat, the fat-free kind will work as well.
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Stuffed Cream Cheese Turkey Rolls
Want a satisfying savory side dish or snack thatll fill you up? Try these healthy, filled rolls!
- Make a batch of your favorite bread roll dough. You can also buy some premade dough from the store, but homemade is always the healthiest.
- Soften cream cheese in a bowl and add shredded turkey to it, with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide your dough into individual balls. Roll each ball out into a flat circle, and add the filling to the middle.
- Pinch the sides to close around the filling, and roll the ball until smooth and spherical again, this time stuffed with filling.
- Bake until browned, and serve!
This filling achieves its aimthick cream cheese mixed with the turkeys protein? Youll be happily stuffed after a few bites!
Creamy Baked Macaroni And Cheese
Shared by Amy Desrosiers | Updated on
Buckle your seatbelt because this cream baked mac and cheese recipe is going to take you for a spin! It uses the optimal combination of cheeses to make the creamiest, cheesiest, most comforting macaroni and cheese youll ever have! Dont believe me? Give this recipe a try. You wont be disappointed I promise!
Macaroni and cheese is the perfect family recipe because its a dish thats loved by both children and adults. In fact, this recipe was a hit with our whole family. It uses three different kinds of cheese to create a rich, creamy sauce thats velvety smooth until the last bite.
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How To Bake It
The key to baking this oven mac and cheese is to keep the casserole dish in the middle of the oven and remove once the cheese on the top is bubbly and just a little browned.
- Stir in the cooked macaroni and pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese on top is fully melted and slightly browned.
Once baked you can serve nearly anything with this mac and cheese, or simply top with crispy crumbled bacon. Try adding a cold, crisp spinach strawberry salad, some roasted cauliflower, or even some crispy carrot fries!
Why Make Mac And Cheese From Scratch
If you are waffling on making your own homemade mac and cheese versus a box, let me share why I think homemade is better:
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Macaroni And Cheese Variations
This recipe is easy to adapt to other variations. Here are some of our favorites:
Baked Mac and Cheese: Once the pasta and cheese sauce are combined, add it to a baking dish and bake with a little more cheese and breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. We shared this Baked Macaroni and Cheese a while back.
Garlic Mac and Cheese: Fresh garlic and roasted garlic are excellent in this recipe. Add either to the butter just before adding the flour. For fresh, Id use 2 to 3 cloves. For roasted garlic, you can increase to 6 cloves or more. See our recipe for making roasted garlic.
Use a Variety of Cheeses: Cheddar isnt the only cheese to use. Try easy melting Gruyere, Fontina or Monterey Jack. For more flavor, a bit of parmesan or pecorino cheese is lovely, and for a more adult dish, try blue cheese!
Spiced Macaroni and Cheese: Mustard , nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper are classic additions to the cheese sauce. Smoked paprika is also delicious.
Broccoli Mac and Cheese: A kid favorite! Stir roasted broccoli or steamed broccoli into the pot before serving. Heres how we make roasted broccoli.
Lighter Mac and Cheese: Swapping half of the cheese sauce for pureed cauliflower cuts calories and still tastes incredible.
Crockpot Cream Cheese Mac And Cheese Faq
Can I make a slow cooker recipe in the Instant Pot?
It can be tricky to convert crockpot recipes to an electric pressure cooker. We havent tried making crock pot mac and cheese with cream cheese in the IP, but you are more than welcome to experiment. If you do, please let us know how it turns out!For a recipe that definitely works, I recommend my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. It is very rich and creamy, and its ready in under 15 minutes.
Whats the best cheese for crockpot mac and cheese?
A lot depends on your flavor preference, but it helps to use cheeses that melt well.Cheddar, pepper jack, and cream cheese are perfect in a creamy mac and cheese recipe, and the combination tastes scrumptious.If you want a different flavor altogether, try cheeses like Gruyere, smoked gouda, or Fontina! All of them melt really well and add a more sophisticated flavor.
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Best Mac And Cheese Recipe
When I label something the best I do it with a lot of consideration and testing ahead of time. I want to offer you only the absolute best recipe Ive ever made or tasted.
Theres a lot of pressure here After all, we all have different tastebuds and preferences.
However, Im really psyched about todays Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe. It is truly special.
Today we are going for a classic macaroni and cheese recipe, not a fancy spin-off. We have several other brilliant macaroni recipes here on the blog. Yet I thought it was time to add our favorite traditional version.
Why is it so amazing?
We think its perfect, and hope you think so as well!
Heavy Or Whipping Cream
If youve got a spare carton of heavy cream in your refrigerator, you can easily add it to your mac and cheese without noticing much of a difference in the final result. Youll end up with a dish thats super-rich and creamy but not as thick as mac and cheese with sour cream.
But like sour cream, these other types of cream are also packed with calories. Adding heavy or whipping cream to your mac and cheese will quickly up the caloric value of your meal, so keep that in mind before turning to this milk substitute.
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Creamy Baked Mac N Cheese Recipe Video
Watch us make the recipe!
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the pasta
Make the cheese sauce
Bake and serve
What Pasta Shape Is Best
For my mac and cheese, I like to choose pasta shapes that are short and sturdy and really hold onto the sauce.Photo by Jonathan Pielmayer on Unsplash
I much prefer short shapes with plenty of texture to hold onto the rich sauce. Some of my favorites are:
Many of these shapes have choices between regular smooth pasta and rigate, meaning it has ridges.
Always choose a ridged pasta or at least a pasta shape extruded through brass dies because they will hold onto sauce better.
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Mac And Cheese With Sour Cream
The Shortcut Kitchen | July 9, 2019
This Mac and Cheese with Sour Cream recipe will turn that quintessential American dish into a family favorite.
This cheesy, creamy, and delicious casserole is full of shredded cheese and sour cream, surprise! With the perfect amount of sour cream, this mac and cheese casserole has the ultimate blend of flavors, making it scrumptious without being overly rich!
