Best baked mac and cheese recipe for thanksgiving

Baked macaroni and cheese is a quintessential southern side dish. Although the dish has European roots, the version Americans are familiar with today can be attributed to James Hemings, President Thomas Jefferson's highly skilled enslaved chef. Hemings learned of the dish during his travels to Europe with Jefferson and produced the cheesy, savory side we all know and love. Word of the dish spread like wildfire and the cooking technique was passed orally through the enslaved community, creating a staple for the African-American and southern dinner table.

Millie Peartree's baked mac & cheese is famous for a reason! Here are five major takeaways to help you nail it:

1. Make sure your pasta is super al dente. Boil it for too long and your baked macaroni will be mushy. Drain under cool water to stop noodles from cooking any further.
2. Layer it like a lasagna! Millie puts an entire layer of pure cheese in between two layers of (already cheesy) macaroni. Game. Changer.
3. Make a custard. Don't skip the eggs! Whisking together eggs and milk and pouring it over the mac & cheese will make it extra creamy, saucy, and decadent. Feel free to use cream, half and half, or evaporated milk for even creamier mac, depending on how rich you want your mac and cheese to be.
4. But don't scramble it. Getting your noodles cool to the touch will also ensure that the beaten eggs don't turn into scrambled eggs when you add your custard to the noodles.  
5. Make it your own.  If you don’t like sharp cheese please feel free to use mild or any other cheese you like. Use whatever noodles you have on hand or go with a fun new pasta shape. 
6. Let it cool! Allowing the mac and cheese time to cool will help the custard set

Save your future self some time and prep this macaroni ahead. Once it's done baking, allow it to cool to room temperature and wrap the entire pan tightly in plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Reheat at 350° until heated through. Baked mac and cheese will keep in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.  

Baked mac and cheese will always steal the show but there are a few mains that are worthy enough to grace the same table like this oven-baked bbq chicken or a juicy rib-eye steak. Can't get enough of Millie Peartree's recipes? We've got 'em all right here.

Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

Editor's Note: The introduction to this recipe was updated on May 5, 2022, to include more information about the dish

Yields: 8 - 10 servings

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 mins

Total Time: 0 hours 50 mins

1 lb.

macaroni

1

stick butter, melted (plus more butter for baking dish)

4 c.

extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided 

2 c.

Colby jack-cheddar blend

3

large eggs

2 c.

whole milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a large, deep baking dish with butter or cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl (or the same pot you used to cook the pasta), combine cooked pasta and butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese.
3. Add half of the macaroni mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Colby-cheddar cheese blend over pasta mixture, then top with another layer of pasta (similar to making a lasagna). 
4. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk then pour evenly over pasta. 
5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake! It may be a bit jiggly when you take it out of the oven. 
6. Turn on oven broiler. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese. (I add a little more Colby jack as well) and broil until golden! It will firm up as it cool.

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Erik Bernstein

Millie Peartree Contributing Writer Bronx Chef Millie Peartree started cooking at a very young age, inspired by her mother and her time growing up in the southern United States.

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