Southern-style Baked Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Basics with Babish
6 giant servings, 8-10 normal servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs short pasta, cooked very al dente
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 12 oz mozzarella, shredded or cubed
- 12 oz cheddar, shredded
- 2 oz parmesan, shredded
- 2 eggs, scrambled
Directions:
- Cook the pasta to al dente, or just shy of al dente.
- Add the evaporated milk, half of the cheddar and all of the mozzarella, and stir until all of the cheese has melted.
- Once the pasta has cooled enough to not burn, whisk in the eggs.
- Transfer to a glass baking dish, top with the remaining cheddar and parmesan, and bake at 375 °F for 45 minutes until browned in some parts.
- Rest for 10 minutes and serve.
I tried a few different mac & cheese recipes before settling on this on 6/4/20. It’s still not quite perfect, it can wind up a bit grainy since it doesn’t use any American cheese as an emulsifier. I don’t love the over-the-top gooey mac & cheese made with a bechamel sauce, and this is a bit closer to the mac & cheese you’d normally find at a Southern barbecue as a side dish. It also doesn’t reheat super well in a microwave, though reheating in a pot with a splash of milk would probably work alright.