20 mac & cheese recipes from the archives

Readers share their recipes for famed duo

Look up “comfort food” in the dictionary, and you’ll no doubt find “macaroni and cheese” under the definition.

There’s an undeniable allure to a big casserole dish filled to the top with fat elbow noodles and bubbling, slightly crisp-on-the-top yellow cheese.

Eat it with a big salad. Or with a side of ham. Or all by its lonesome.

No matter how it’s eaten, no matter your age, a dish of macaroni and cheese, most would agree, is what many of us turn to for solace and just plain good eatin’.

Why, it’s no wonder that Thomas Jefferson served the dish at a White House dinner in 1802 (some even credit him with coming up with the dish, but there are conflicting reports on that).

And it’s not at all surprising that so many people swear to have in their possession the best recipe. The absolute best.

Which is why it seemed perfectly reasonable when more than 50 readers rushed us their recipes, many passed down from generations, all family favorites they swear by. We’ve printed as many as possible, but we couldn’t print them all — some recipes came in past our deadline, some with incomplete ingredients, and some we just didn’t have the room for.

We tried a few and were impressed.

Mary See’s egg, ricotta and no-milk recipe was a custard-ish concoction with a fat layer of mozzarella cheese blanketing the top.

Diana Videtti uses 2 cups half-and-half in her recipe. It tastes so creamy you think you are drinking it right out of the carton.

And Merritt McGlothlin throws 8 tablespoons butter, 4 cups Cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup heavy cream into his recipe. Can you say rich?

“The first time I ever made it was when my wife was sick,” said McGlothlin, 63. “It just seemed to be what the doctor ordered.”

Serves 2

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• 1.4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• Pinch garlic powder
• A sprinkle of cayenne
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup uncooked macaroni (cook according to package instructions and drain)
• 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in 1-quart saucepan. Add flour, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley and cayenne. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool slightly, then return to heat. Slowly pour the milk into this mixture. Stir until just boiling. Stir in 1 cup of Cheddar cheese until melted. Add cooked macaroni.

Transfer to 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the remaining Cheddar. Broil 5 minutes.

Cook's tip: Serve it with a side dish of fruit salad with a tangy, poppy-seed dressing.

Serves 4-6

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix ingredients in bowl; add to macaroni. Transfer mixture to oiled ovenproof casserole dish. Top with additional mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Serves 6

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 3¾ cups hot milk
• 4 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound short macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a medium stainless-steel saucepan over low heat.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes (flour mixture must foam as it cooks, or sauce will have a raw flour taste). Stir in cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in hot milk, ½ cup at a time, and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 cups of the cheese.

Cook, stirring, until cheese melts, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine cooked macaroni and cooked cheese sauce in a large bowl and season with salt. Sprinkle ½ cup of the remaining grated cheese over the bottom of a buttered 10-by-12-inch baking dish. Place 1/3 of the pasta in the baking dish, top with ½ cup of grated cheese, then repeat, layering pasta and cheese, ending with cheese, making 3 layers in all.

Pour cream over assembled macaroni and cheese. Melt remaining butter in a skillet. Add bread crumbs; coat crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over macaroni and cheese. Bake until crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Cook's tip: When making the white sauce, cook the flour in the butter over low heat, taking care it doesn't brown. Stir In the hot milk a bit at a time, adding more milk only when the sauce thickens. Never stop stirring. Use a whisk, which leaves little chance for lumps.

Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• dash ground pepper
• 2 cups half-and-half (heated to help melt the cheeses)
• 1 ¼ cup diced Cheddar cheese (I prefer extra-sharp)
• ½ of a small onion, quartered (It’ll be chopped further in blender) ·
• ¾ cup shredded or grated Parmesan (good quality, not the canister stuff)
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup unseasoned bread crumbs (making some from whole wheat sliced bread for the color and texture)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the butter, flour, salt, pepper and warmed half-and-half into blender, cover and blend thoroughly (15-20 seconds or so). Gradually add onion and cheeses until blended.

Mix with cooked macaroni and pour into a buttered 2- quart casserole. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with more butter.

Bake approximately 30 minutes.

Cook's tips: This recipe has been with me since early 1970s, long before the low-fat police came into power. It is so rich and wonderful that even now, in my mid-50s, I throw dietary caution to the wind and seize the calories. Whatever blender or food processor is used must be heat-tolerant.

Serves 8

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 2 2/3 cups 1 percent milk
• ¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 ounces Velveeta cheese
• 6 cups cooked elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cup crushed Melba toast or croutons
• 1 tablespoon soft margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place flour in a large saucepan and gradually add milk, stirring over medium heat until thickened. Add cheeses, cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in macaroni and salt.

Spoon into large baking pan. Combine crushed crumbs and margarine in small bowl and sprinkle over macaroni. Bake until hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serves 6

• 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato
• Italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt butter; blend in flour, salt and the dash of pepper. Add milk; cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add the onion and the cheese. Stir until melted. Mix the cheese sauce with the macaroni. Put into a 1 ½-quart casserole or an 8-by-10-inch baking pan.

Arrange the sliced tomato on top.

Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Cook's tip: This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake. Everyone goes back for seconds.

Serves 8-10

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 2 cups mostaccioli (or other medium-size pasta)
• 1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 ½ cups fat-free sour cream
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 24 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup dried bread crumbs for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions, al dente. Drain.

In large bowl, mix all other ingredients, except bread crumbs. Add cooked pasta and mix well. Transfer ingredients to an oiled 9-by-13-inch pan.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Spray top lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes, until golden and crusty.

Cook's tip: Optional add-ins include:

• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped green pepper
• ¼ cup chopped red pepper

Serves 4-6

• 2 cups macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 4 teaspoons butter or margarine, plus 2 tablespoons
• ¾ cup soft bread crumbs (decrust slices of bread and cut in cubes)
• 4 teaspoons minced onions
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ teaspoons dry mustard
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 4 teaspoons of the margarine or butter. Toss in bread crumbs and set aside on wax paper for topping later.

In the same pan, combine remaining butter, onion and next 4 ingredients; Stir in milk and cook until smooth. Add cheese, setting aside some for topping. Stir mixture until cheese is melted.

Combine macaroni and the cheese mixture in a 1 ½-quart baking dish. Top with cheese and buttered crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Cook's tip: This recipe was Marty Hart's mother's that has been passed down to her daughter. She makes this by habit. Hart uses lots of cheese and saves enough to spread over top under bread crumbs. Crumbs will brown, and cheese will make cover to casserole.

Serves 8-10

• 16-ounce box of elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 1 (1/4 pound) stick of butter, which will melt when added to the ot macaroni
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
• 8 ounces grated mild Cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces grated sharp Velveeta cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 can evaporated milk
• Paprika, enough to sprinkle on top of macaroni and cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add butter, salt and pepper to the hot cooked macaroni, then add the cheeses.

Beat eggs with a whisk and add milk. Stir the egg and milk mixture into the macaroni. Add salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle top with paprika.

Bake in a 9-by-12-inch oiled casserole dish for 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Cook's tip: Try adding Mexican-flavor cheese.

Serves 2-4

• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup 1 percent milk
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 ounce Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 2 ¾ cups grated Colby or Cheddar cheese for top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of double boiler, melt margarine. Add flour and stir until reasonably smooth. Add milk slowly while stirring. Add the garlic powder. Cook this white sauce approximately 10 minutes, stirring often. Add Velveeta and macaroni to white sauce, stirring until Velveeta is almost melted. Pour into an oiled 1-quart casserole pan. Spread Colby or Cheddar cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Cook's tip: This mac and cheese can be eaten without baking or with different cheeses. I usually add 2 slices of finely chopped onion to my recipe.

• 1 ½ cups hot milk
• ¼ cup soft butter or margarine
• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• ¼ cup chopped green onions (tops only)
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced Cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces of cooked, drained macaroni noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all ingredients, except macaroni noodles, into a blender, blend for 15 seconds.

Put the cooked macaroni into a shallow, buttered baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over noodles. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 8

• 1 ½ cups soft bread crumbs (6-8 slices of fresh bread)
• 1 ½ cups grated mild Cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely grated onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 ¾ cups cream (I use half-and-­half)
• 5 eggs
• 1 ½ cups salad macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size saucepan, mix and reserve the bread crumbs, Cheddar cheese, onion, salt and parsley.

In a small saucepan, bring cream to rapid boil, then add to bread crumb and cheese mixture.

Over low heat, continue to cook until well mixed, 2-3 minutes.

Cool this mixture slightly, 3-5 minutes.

Using an eggbeater, beat eggs till fluffy and add to the cooled ingredients.

Place cooked macaroni in a 2 ½-quart baking casserole dish. Pour the mixture over the cooked macaroni.

Place the baking dish in roasting pan with 2-inch sides. Add 2 cups water to roasting pan, to form a water bath for the baking casserole dish.

Place the roasting pan with baking casserole dish inside in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.

Serves 6

• 9 slices seeded rye bread, crust removed
• 2 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese
• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 ¾ cups milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Cover the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish with a layer of bread cubes. Top .with a layer of Jarlsberg cheese and then a layer of macaroni. Repeat, ending with cheese, until all the bread, cheese and macaroni are used.

Combine milk, eggs and salt and beat until well-blended. Pour egg mixture into the baking dish and top with the melted butter. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bake for 50 minutes or until firm.

Serves 6-8

• 1 stick of butter
• ¾ of a 1-pound box of Velveeta cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2¼ cups milk; divided use
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 pound of elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large glass dish (9-by-12 inches), melt the butter, cheese and 2 cups of milk in microwave for approximately 2 minutes — depending on the individual microwave oven. Remove dish from microwave and mash the larger pieces of cheese with a potato masher until soft. Mix the flour and remaining ¼ cup of milk in a cup and stir into the cheese mixture.

Add the cooked elbow macaroni to the cheese mixture. Top with the bread crumbs and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serves 4-6

• 1 large pkg.(8-oz.) cream cheese
• 2¼-1/2 cup milk
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package of small shell macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained

In the top of a small double boiler, heat cream cheese until soft. Stir in enough milk to make right consistency to pour. Add garlic powder to taste and stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Keep sauce hot in double boiler while cooking macaroni.

Pour sauce over cooked noodles and mix. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Serves 4-6

• 1 box elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an oblong baking dish and add ½ of the cooked macaroni.

Spread 1 cup of grated sharp Cheddar cheese on top of the noodles. Lightly salt and pepper to taste, then spread the rest of the noodles and add the top layer of cheese.

Beat eggs in milk and pour evenly over the top of the macaroni. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until egg mixture sets lightly and cheese melts (approximately 30 minutes).

Cook's tip: Can be made ahead and refrigerated until time to bake.

Serves 4-6

• 1 cup macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• ½ cup soft bread crumbs
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 3 tablespoons pimento
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped onion
• 1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar Is a good choice)
• 3 tablespoons green pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups scalded milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten well
• 3 egg whites, beaten stiff

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crumbs, butter, pimento, onion, cheese, green pepper and salt. Add milk and pour over egg yolk, stirring well Add macaroni and fold in egg whites. Bake in an oiled casserole dish 40-45 minutes, or until firm.

Cook's tip: This is from my mother and her friend — both defense-plant workers in California during World War II in the 1940s — when meat was scarce and casseroles were popular.

Serves 6

• 12 ounces mostaccioli noodles
• 12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• pepper
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil noodles until just under al dente. Drain. Butter sides and bottom of a glass baking dish with lid. Put ½ of the noodles in the dish. Put ½ of the cheese on the noodles. Put the remaining noodles on the cheese, and put the remaining cheese on the noodles. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Whip up egg and milk and pour evenly over the noodles and cheese.

Put the lid on the dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Take off the lid and leave the dish in the oven until the top gets crispy. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6

• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 heavy sprinkle of paprika
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 quart cottage cheese
• 2 pounds grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, beating well, then add salt, pepper and paprika. Add the sour cream and cottage cheese and mix well. Then add grated Cheddar cheese, saving some to top the macaroni.

Rinse cooked macaroni in cold water, drain and mix all ingredients.

Turn into a large casserole dish, topping with reserved cheese, and bake covered 40-45 minutes.

Serves 8-12

• 1 pound macaroni, cooked according to package instructions and drained
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 5 cups whole milk
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 16 ounces sharp yellow Cheddar
• 1 cup Gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch pan in heated oven, then remove dish. Add cornstarch to the butter, then the salt, pepper and mustard, stirring to make a smooth paste. Heat the milk (with bay leaves, infusing them), then add slowly to the cornstarch mixture (removing the bay leaves first). Stir until smooth. Shred cheeses and add to the drained, hot macaroni and the milk mixture. Turn into the buttered casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and continue baking for another 20 minutes.

Mac and cheese — it's one of the most forgiving dishes, inviting us to experiment and play.

But there are a few basics that seem to add up to a better dish.

Here are some pointers from Joan Schwartz, author of "Macaroni and Cheese: 52 Recipes, From Simple to Sublime."

Pay attention to ingredients. Use a fresh cheese that you really like, one with character, she says.

Save the grating for last. Chef Keith Dresser, whose Baked Four-Cheese Pasta is included in Schwartz's book, insists that macaroni and cheese will taste best when the cheese is grated just before use.

Schwartz agrees. Sure, you can get those bags of pre-grated cheese "if your back is against the wall" and you need to kick out a quick dish of mac and cheese. "They're OK, but they're not transcendent." (And you do want transcendent, don't you?)

Don't overcook the pasta. If a dish is going to be baked, you'll want to cook the pasta until it's just al dente (tender but still slightly firm). The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

"You don't want a flabby texture," Schwartz says.

Don't skimp. "Don't turn to skim milk or cheeses that are not really good cheese or are low-fat," Schwartz says. Always use whole milk (all of the recipes in Schwartz's book specify whole milk when milk is used).

Why?

"This is comfort food," Schwartz explains. "You don't want to give yourself half a dish of comfort."