The best Macaroni and Cheese around

No holiday table would be complete without macaroni and cheese, and I am sure we can all agree, that no one makes that beloved dish quite like mom!

So, I paid my mom a visit to learn her secret to her annual cheesy, buttery, baking dish full of deliciousness.

Turns out, the secret is A LOT of cheese! 2 pounds of it.

Yeah, this isn’t your everyday mac and cheese. This is that Thanksgiving mac and cheese. That special “only eat it a few times a year” mac and cheese, so don’t let the massive amount of cheese dissuade you. Trust me, you’ll want to taste this!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese.
• 1 lb. cubed Colby Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp. + ½ tsp. salt, divided
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 heaping tsp. corn starch
• 3 cups cream
• 4 eggs
• 1-2 cups milk
• 1 stick of butter, melted

METHOD:

1. Bring about 2 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water, and then throw in the macaroni.  
2. Add in one of the tablespoons of oil to help prevent the macaroni from sticking while it cooks.
3. Cook the macaroni until they are al dente and then drain.
4. Pour the drained pasta into a greased baking dish (you’ll want a deep one to hold all the liquid ingredients as well as the pasta) and sprinkle the heaping teaspoon of corn starch over top.
5. Pour in the tablespoon of oil and the melted butter and give the pasta a stir, then let the pasta sit while you prepare your other ingredients.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and the remaining spices.
7. Pour that egg mix over the pasta and give it a light stir.
8. Next, add your shredded cheddar to the mix and fold it all in. Then, do the same with the cubed cheese. Mom says the cubed cheese will help ensure “you get a nice bite of just cheese here and there when it is all baked.”
9. Next, pour in enough milk so that the liquid nearly covers the pasta. “You want to liquid to be even with the noodles so the pasta on top doesn’t dry out as it bakes.”
10. Give it one final light stir, “but don’t fuss with it too much,” mom says. “As long as it’s all swimming together, you’re good.”
11. Next, cover your baking dish with foil and bake in a 350 F oven for one hour.
12. After an hour, uncover the baking dish and bake until the top is brown at the edges and golden across the top (About 20-30 minutes).
13. Let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Special thanks to Ella Kalsi for sharing this recipe.