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Classic Macaroni and Cheese

This classic, hearty mac and cheese is super simple and really tasty. See more

READY IN ABOUT 1¼ hrs

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Read Reviews (275)

"This is the classic baked Mac and Cheese of my childhood. You can add sun-dried tomatoes if you wish, or sometimes I substitute minced garlic for the salt and pepper to give it added zing! It can make Saturday Night more fun!" — Cordi Tierno

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Original recipe makes 1 - 2 quart casserole Change Servings

1 (16 ounce) package macaroni
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced
1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

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Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Place a quarter of the macaroni in the bottom, followed by an even layer of one-quarter of the cheese slices. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering three times. Pour evaporated milk evenly over the top of all.
Bake, uncovered, for one hour, or until top is golden brown.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 10 mins

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jun 02, 2006

I thought this was great, but I made some changes. Reduced cooking temp to 350, used 12oz of noodles instead of a pound, used half mild cheddar and half Kraft Deluxe American Cheese (sandwich slices), and increased the amount of evaporated milk. This was a homerun for all three kids and it reminded me of the way it used to taste when I was growing up.

—PCULVER

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 21, 2005

I only give it 3 stars as written because of two things -- 375 for an hour is too hot so your top will BURN (I did 350 for an hour and that was perfect), and it needs at least double the cheese. With these two alterations you'd have a five star classic mac-n-cheese recipe that will be delicious.

—GBOLLER

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344 Ratings

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Jan 07, 2006

Finally, a recipe for the mac and cheese I grew up with! I followed other reviewer's advice and doubled the cheese and evaporated milk. I also melted the butter and evenly coated each layer of macaroni. I baked it at 375 for 45 minutes uncovered which was a little too long...next time I will either lower the temperature to 350 or shorten the bake time. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I'll be making this again; it was wonderful!

—Nay

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Mar 10, 2008

I have tried so many mac and cheese recipes that my family panics when I say I'm trying another one. They have all been failures. But after reading the reviews, I decided to give it a shot. I didn't measure anything and only used what I had on hand. 2% milk (and prolly not enough), american slices, grated colby. I didn't add the dry mustard...just the salt and pepper. I did make it in 2 pans. My kids raved, the hubby went back for more. One pan is empty and the other was hit hard. This is an absolutely incredible, fail-proof recipe. Ooey-gooey, the way gramma made it, macaroni and cheese at it's best.

—DESERTDREAMER

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Dec 11, 2006

YUMMY! Out of all the mac n' cheese recipes my famiy has tested this one wins the prize! I followed the advice of another review and used 12 oz. of elbow noodles, reduced the temp to 350', used 1/2 sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 Kraft Deluxe American and increased the evaporated milk to about 15-16 ozs. I also covered the top so I wouldn't end up with some "hard" noodles on top. I think the layering really helped.

—OSTER4420

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Feb 03, 2008

Wonderful! This was exactly how I had Mac and Cheese growing up. I used fresh milk since my evaporated milk had gone bad and it worked out just fine. My father used to use fresh milk too. Thank you so much for the recipe!

—L. Rakic

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Jan 12, 2008

This is a good skeleton. I definitely altered things on a got-it-don't-got-it basis. The main reason I like this recipe is because of the execution. Layering hard cheese & then pouring some milk (I actually used 6oz half & half with 6oz buttermilk leftover from a cake) over it was novel to me because my family did the heated up milk-egg-cheese combo poured over the noodles. I might have sneaked an egg into the cream and milk just because it didn't seem right without it. The proportions are way off, though. I'll have to make it again just to get it exactly right because I had to put some of the extra noodles & cheese in a smaller dish. The butter was unnecessary for me. I used sliced cheese and shredded cheese ('cause I had it) the sliced was American while the shredded was provolone, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and mozzarella. I also lowered the oven temp. like reviewers suggested and didn't really bother with a cook time since there seemed debate on the topic. Did maybe 30 minutes initially and just kept adding ten or so depending on how it looked.

—SilliVivi

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Oct 02, 2007

This recipe tastes great. The problem I had with this recipe is that it calls for a 2qt dish. Here's a tip - use a 3 quart dish. Cooking in a 2qt dish caused a major spill-over in my oven. I can only give this recipe 3 stars due to the mess it caused in my oven. When I use a larger dish next time it will prob get 4 or 5 stars. Now....when will the person who wrote this recipe be over to my house to clean my oven?

—HornsFan2112

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Nutrition

Calories
701 kcal
35%

Carbohydrates
64.9 g
21%

Cholesterol
103 mg
34%

Fat
33.5 g
52%

Fiber
3.4 g
13%

Protein
34 g
68%

Sodium
552 mg
22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 701
Calories from Fat: 301

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 33.5g 52 %
Saturated Fat 20.4g 102 %
Cholesterol 103mg 34 %
Sodium 552mg 22 %
Potassium 348mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrates 64.9g 21 %
Dietary Fiber 3.4g 13 %
Protein 34g 68 %
Sugars 7.8g
Vitamin A 19 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 90 %
Iron 30 %
Thiamin 43 %
Niacin 81 %
Vitamin B6 11 %
Magnesium 25 %
Folate 86 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.