This is definitely the best cafeteria style mac and cheese I've made. I used a mixture of cheeses rather than just the cheddar. This mac and cheese is actually better as a leftover. Seems to pick up more flavor. I would make it the day before you plan to eat it. Very filling and tasty! ;)

loved it! made it for thanksgiving for the first time...changed it up a bit by not adding the bread crumb and adding more cheese...big hit. ive made it a few more times since for work pot lucks...everyone asks for it! Thanks

Add more milk and cheese

Easy to make and the flavor was wonderful. I baked it and it separated, though, so next time I may just heat on the stove.

My kids loved this recipe. I ended up using 4 cups of cheese which was due to the fact that I read the directions wrong. I put all 3 1/2 cups of cheese in the mixture and then had to use another half cup for the topping. I also did not add butter to the bread crumbs as the cheese kept it moist enough. We omitted the paprika and I did not broil as it had a nice finish when it was done baking. Thanks

I make this all the time for parties and everyone loves it. The only thing I have changed over time is using 1/2 shredded chedder cheese and 1/2 Velveeta cheese which most people say they prefer.

Cafeteria macaroni and cheese is supposed to be lumpy! Just a southern woman's opinion...

I made this for a lunchon for work. Turned out pretty good, I think I would add a little more seasoning.

I followed the instructions closely, because I wanted to give the recipe a correct rating. The only thing I changed was melting the cheese in the warm milk, and stirring all the macaroni in it, then baking. The dish came out beautiful and looks great! But the taste just is okay, and didn't come out that the cheese blended well with the milk. (No, the milk wasn't too hot to curdle). It was a good recipe, but i've had better. The amount of Worschester sauce made the milk a little tan too. The Alton Brown recipe in Food Network is really great, by the way!

I read many of the reviews of this recipe, both good and bad, and was curious enough to give it a try. I would give it a 4 or 5 for flavor - loved the kick of the mustard, Worcestershire and cayenne (didn't have any hot sauce). However, I would rate the consistency a 1. Like other reviewers, I found the mac & cheese too gloopy and would prefer a creamy, white sauce-based mixture. My breadcrumbs browned enough that I didn't broil the casserole, so I found the butter in the breadcrumbs too much. The cheese is greasy enough that it could be topped with plain breadcrumbs - just enough to look pretty.

I love homemade mac & cheese. And after reading all the recipes here, I knew this was the recipe I had been looking for. This is good old fashioned, "homestyle" macaroni & cheese like I used to eat at family reunions in Indiana. I reduce the mustard to just 1 teaspoon and I use half extra sharp/half mild cheddar, and add 4 oz Velveta and it is perfect.

soooo yummy.....i make this for my friends quite a bit and they always tell me it's the best! i like to add a little more mustard and Worcestershire sauce for a little kick!

It looks good and tastes even better. I omitted the hot sauce though...for the kids. They loved the topping. I AM that hero !

I found this recipe to be very greasy. I would probably double the amount of pasta next time and only use half the amount of cheese.

I think this macaroni and cheese is classic. Been making it for years now. It is very similar to the baked mac & cheese you might get at a good cafeteria. The texture is chewy and cheesy. The crusy edges are perfection. This is NOT a creamy, velveeta sort of mac & cheese. If that's what you want, you won't like this. I have always followed the recipe to the letter, and it is perfect - my friends love it, my family loves it. The "bite" that it gets from the dry mustard, the hot sauce and worcestershire is great - not too much, so it isn't really spicy. It's just really tasty! This is good, old-fashioned, southern, potluck ladies' mac & cheese. YUM!

Yummy!!! Made this last night and it's simple, and changes the way you look at mac'n'chees. For more flavor I added a dash of hot sauce and garlic salt.

Flavor was good, but it wasn't creamy - almost dry. I melted the cheese in the hot milk - it melted nicely. I will make again, but not our favorite.

I made this recipe and used 3/4 cup half and half and 3/4 cup milk. I omitted the hot sauce and substituted Ritz crackers for the bread crumbs and added them to the top of the mac and cheese closer to the end of the baking time. It was really good. I will definitely make this again.

I made this today and am happy to say it was exactly what I was hoping for...in reading some previous posts I realized that most people here dont realize that baked mac and cheese is very different from ordinary mac and cheese and in being raised up with southern women, I have had the priviledge of being able to get real southern mac and cheese...the only thing different I did was added 2 cups of the sharp cheddar to the milk mixture, 2 C of it in the mac and almost 2 cups on top and I added more breadcrumb mixture...I also used evaporated milk instead of reg. milk...I really liked the way it came out...if you are looking for a creamy sweet processed cheese type then this recipe is NOT for you...

I didn't make any changes to this... I should have! It was decent, nothing special. The cheese didn't spread evenly, and overall was bland. The only thing I really enjoyed was the crumbs and paprika after it was under the broiler. I will be making my favorite mac and cheese recipe with that on top next time!