READY IN 50 mins

Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese

Read Reviews (209)

"This is an old-fashioned comfort food recipe." — Karena

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and hot sauce. Set aside.
Stir 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 3 cups cheese into the drained macaroni. Pour the hot milk mixture over the cheese and macaroni. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheddar on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the melted butter, and spread over the top. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, and then place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 50 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Dec 04, 2003

The people who had trouble with this recipe definitely didn't make it correctly. Eight ounces of macaroni means one-half pound, not one cup. I mixed the cheese into the milk before adding it to the macaroni. I also used seasoned croutons in place of bread crumbs and added some bacon bits to the topping mixture. All in all, a very good recipe.

—punkypower

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Dec 04, 2003

As written, I couldn't figure out how this could possibly become thick and creamy. So, I first made a roux with butter and flour, added my milk and seasonings, stirred until nicely thickened, turned off the heat and just kept added the cheese until I was happy with the flavor. I used cheddar and pepper jack for some spice. Very yummy!

—LINDA MCLEAN

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261 Ratings

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Jun 08, 2004

WOW!!! This was excellent. Try using extra sharp or sharp cheddar cheese. I added about 4 oz of processed cheese (velveeta type) and about 1/2 cup sour cream just to make it even creamier. You won't taste the sour cream. Great without the breadcrumbs too. Nice comfort food. And even easier to make if you just mix everything together, then add the macaroni and mix well. This insures every piece of pasta is covered.

—BARB MAXWELL

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Dec 04, 2003

This is NOT your Kraft shells and cheese or boxed macaroni. This recipe a typical southern style baked macaroni - chewy and creamy. Family members fight over the corner pieces. I weigh my pasta rather than measure and the recipe has turned out perfectly every time - everyone in the family loves this dish.

—HAZARDNC

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Jan 04, 2004

Great warm-weather comfort food! It sounded like it had the potential to come out greasy because of the 3 1/2 cups of Cheddar, so I used half Cheddar and half Kraft Melts (4 cheese combo). It turned out nice and creamy and not runny as others might have mentioned. Keep in mind, when measuring pasta, they don't mean 8 fluid oz (or 1 cup). They mean 1/2 pound. I think this is what confused some people.

—vblumb

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Jan 19, 2007

This was by far the best homemade mac and cheese I have made. It was even good the next day warmed up. I used skim milk, lowfat cheddar cheese, colby/jack and lowfat mozzerella. Very creamy. I did substitute crushed Ritz crackers for the bread crumbs--that's what my mom used to put on it when I was a kid--adds that buttery taste.

—Cabragg

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Aug 23, 2008

Yum - great flavor. I added about a cup of sour cream to mine because it wasn't quite creamy enough. Turned out great!

—SunnyByrd

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Jul 01, 2006

My husband and I really liked this! Unfortunately we didn't get to taste the topping. I put it in the broiler for two minutes, but I didn't stand guard: when I was ready to take it out, the entire dish was on fire. My husband blew on it until it went out, we silenced the smoke detector and opened the screen door, and scraped off the top layer. I am probably the only person inept enough to have this outcome, but I thought I'd pass the warning along just in case.

—mouse

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Nutrition

Calories
544 kcal
27%

Carbohydrates
39.4 g
13%

Cholesterol
92 mg
31%

Fat
31.4 g
48%

Fiber
2.2 g
9%

Protein
25.4 g
51%

Sodium
850 mg
34%

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

Nutritional Information

Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 544
Calories from Fat: 283

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 31.4g 48 %
** Saturated Fat 19.2g 96 %
** Cholesterol 92mg 31 %
Sodium 850mg 34 %
** Potassium 229mg 6 %
Total Carbohydrates 39.4g 13 %
Dietary Fiber 2.2g 9 %
Protein 25.4g 51 %
** Sugars 4.4g
Vitamin A 22 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 72 %
Iron 23 %
** Thiamin 30 %
** Niacin 57 %
** Vitamin B6 9 %
** Magnesium 17 %
** Folate 52 %

* 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.