Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. It is synonymous with soul food and part of the South’s culinary story. Creamy, rich, ooey-gooey, super cheesy, with those crispy browned cheese edges—no one can resist cooked mac & cheese. Exceptional mac 'n' cheese makes noises after it leaves the oven as if the ancestors are speaking to us through the squeaks and crackles of cooking.
This dish is far more than a simple side. In Southern households, for the most part, being the designated maker of macaroni and cheese is the pinnacle—the highest culinary accolade. There are rules of engagement and a distinct hierarchy when it comes to this dish. Who makes it, how it's made, and who's allowed to bring it to a gathering involves negotiation, tradition, and an understanding. Not just anybody is allowed to make mac & cheese. If you're invited to someone's house, especially for a holiday, you can't just show up toting that casserole pan. You have to be assigned. You have to be appointed. You have to be anointed. When somebody can make mac 'n' cheese, you can't replace them or bring your own version. These truths may bring about discord in some households, but one fact remains: Macaroni and cheese is the most significant dish on the table.
Forget the rudimentary stuff sold in a box or a microwavable packet. Real mac & cheese is always made from scratch and usually involves multiple kinds of cheese, secret touches (eggs, bay leaves, or evaporated milk may be involved), and debates over toppings. Typically, it's always baked. It's always a side dish, but it's the side dish of honor, present at every important occasion. In Southern families, you associate macaroni and cheese with collard greens, black-eyed peas, fried chicken, and potato salad—all celebration foods. If there's a cookout, somebody is making mac 'n' cheese. For Easter, there's the resurrection of Jesus served alongside mac 'n' cheese. Baptisms, funerals, baby showers, and graduations are not complete without it. And at Thanksgiving—the ultimate marathon of culinary expression and appreciation—macaroni and cheese is more important than the turkey.
Apple pie gets put atop the pedestal of American cuisine, but it's really macaroni and cheese that should hold that lofty perch. It's omnipresent on the kid's menu at restaurants, and people are always trying to improve on it with luxe additions like truffles, bacon, or lobster for "grown-up" mac & cheese, but little do they know, it's already older than your grandmother's grandmother. And in the South, one point is non-debatable: no one's macaroni and cheese is better than your grandmother's.
Triple Cheesy Baked Mac & Cheese
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
- 16 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
- 16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions (minus 2 minutes). Drain and set aside.
- Combine all three shredded cheeses in a bowl and divide half into another bowl. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dry mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and flour. Stir until the mixture becomes paste-like, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk and cream. Whisk until thick. Slowly add half the cheese, allowing it to melt before adding more.
- Stir in pasta until coated with cheese sauce.
- Add a layer of macaroni and then a layer of shredded cheese to the prepared baking dish. Repeat layers.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Finish by broiling until the top is golden brown, for about 2 minutes.
