Baked Southern Mac and Cheese

Name: Baked Southern Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients: 1 pound (16 oz) elbow macaroni; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 cups whole milk, warmed; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional); 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded; 1 cup Gruyère cheese, freshly shredded; 1/2 cup Colby-Jack cheese, freshly shredded; 1/2 cup sour cream; 2 large eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, reserved for topping; 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, reserved for topping

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Southern baked mac and cheese is not stovetop macaroni that happened to wander into an oven. It is a casserole with structure: tender pasta, a seasoned cheese mixture, enough dairy to stay creamy, and a browned top that gives every serving a little contrast.

The important decisions happen before baking. Cook the pasta just shy of done so it can finish in the oven without turning soft, use cheeses that actually melt, and season the custard or sauce before it goes over the noodles. Sharp cheddar brings flavor; the supporting cheeses add melt and body. Once assembled, bake until the center is hot and set but still creamy rather than dry around the edges.

Then let it rest. Five minutes feels unreasonable when the top is bubbling and the room smells like toasted cheese, but that pause lets the sauce settle back around the noodles instead of running across the plate. Mac and cheese rewards patience for exactly five minutes, which is about as much personal growth as dinner should require.

Quick Answer

Cook the macaroni 2 minutes shy of al dente, build a seasoned cheese sauce with cheddar, Gruyère, and Colby-Jack, then temper in the sour cream and eggs. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges bubble and the top is lightly golden, then rest 5 minutes before serving.

Prep20 minutes

Cook35 minutes

Total55 minutes

Serves8 servings

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

1 pound (16 oz) elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, warmed
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
1 cup Gruyère cheese, freshly shredded
1/2 cup Colby-Jack cheese, freshly shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, reserved for topping
1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, reserved for topping

Instructions

1Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray and set aside.
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni for 2 minutes less than the package directs for al dente — it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain well and set aside. Do not rinse the pasta.
3In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted and beginning to foam, add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture turns a light golden color and smells nutty. This cooks out the raw flour taste.
4Slowly pour in the warmed milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking continuously after each addition to prevent lumps. Once all the milk is incorporated, pour in the heavy cream and continue whisking.
5Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Stir to combine. Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6Remove the saucepan from the heat entirely. This step is important — adding cheese to sauce that is too hot causes the proteins to seize and the sauce to turn grainy. Allow it to cool for 2 minutes off the heat.
7Add the 2 cups of sharp cheddar, 1 cup of Gruyère, and 1/2 cup of Colby-Jack to the warm sauce in three additions, stirring gently between each addition until fully melted and smooth.
8In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and beaten eggs. Add a ladleful of the warm cheese sauce to the egg mixture and whisk quickly to temper it — this prevents the eggs from scrambling when added to the hot sauce. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the cheese sauce and stir to fully incorporate.
9Fold the drained macaroni into the cheese sauce until every piece is evenly coated. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
10Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Scatter the reserved 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup Gruyère evenly over the top.
11Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. For a deeper golden crust, broil on high for 2 to 3 minutes at the very end, watching closely so it does not burn.
12Remove from the oven and let the mac and cheese rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows it to set slightly so it holds together when scooped.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 8 servings.

720Calories

29 gProtein

52 gCarbohydrates

44 gTotal Fat

26 gSaturated Fat

2 gFiber

8 gTotal Sugars

620 mgSodium

195 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Shred your own cheese from a block — always. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starches that make your sauce grainy and sad, and life already provides enough graininess and sadness without your mac and cheese adding to it.
Warming the milk before adding it to the roux keeps the sauce smooth and speeds up the thickening process. You don't need it screaming hot — just warm to the touch, like a car seat in July.
Don't skip the resting time after it comes out of the oven. I know. I know. But 5 minutes of patience means your scoop holds together instead of collapsing like a dream deferred.

Substitutions

Gruyère cheese → Swiss cheese or extra sharp white cheddar Gruyère adds a nutty depth, but Swiss works well if you can't find it; white cheddar keeps the flavor profile sharp and bold

heavy cream → evaporated milk Use evaporated milk for a slightly lighter but still creamy result; regular milk can work but the sauce will be thinner

sour cream → full-fat cream cheese (2 oz, softened) Cream cheese makes the sauce even richer and helps it hold its structure in the bake

elbow macaroni → cavatappi, shells, or penne Any short pasta with ridges or curves holds the sauce better; avoid long pasta shapes

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave with a splash of milk stirred in, or cover and reheat the whole dish in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes until warmed through.

Make Ahead

Assemble the full mac and cheese through step 10 (before baking), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off, then bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 extra minutes to the bake time.

Freezing

Freeze Mac and Cheese only if you need longer storage: cool it promptly, pack it airtight in meal-size portions, and thaw it in the refrigerator. Reheat cooked leftovers thoroughly before serving.

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