After eating this macaroni and cheese you will never go back to the stuff in the blue box. It is great when you are a kid, but when you are an adult ? Really? It is time to step up the sophistication. This is a recipe that my mom adapted from one of the greatest southern cooks ever, Edna Lewis.
You will need
1 3/4 cups gobbetti pasta (or any noodle shape you prefer)
Salt
2 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon all- purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs that are lightly beaten
1/3 cup grated onion
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
To get this:
Step 1: Boil the pasta in salted water until tender. Remove and drain. Place the drained pasta into the baking dish of your choice. My mom used a cast iron pan, but you can use a 9x13x2 baking dish or whatever else you like. Mix in the cubed cheddar cheese.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 F
Step 3: Take the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir them together so that everything is evenly mixed together.
Step 4: Add the sour cream, and eggs. With a wire whisk mix all ingredients together until mixture is evenly incorporated.
Step 5: To the mixture, Whisk in the onion, half and half, heavy cream, and Worcestershire until it is thoroughly blended together.
Step 6: Pour this mixture over the pasta and cheese and then stir everything together. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top and then place into the oven.
Step 7: Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes and then let cool for 10 minutes. The cooling is necessary to allow the mac and cheese to set up.

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Step 8: Enjoy!

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Kathy - The macaroni and cheese photos looked very lovely and delicious! I can’t help, this is so mouth watering! I love macaroni and cheese as a side dish to my grilled chicken. I will try your recipe because I never want to go back to the blue box.
heather - dry mustard, paprika, cayenne and nutmeg are all secret weapons in my mac & cheese, too. the only way to go. lookin’ delicious!
cheers,
*heather*
LinC - This sounds like a great recipe. And your picture made it to Foodgawker! I had to laugh when I saw the ingredient “flower” instead of “flour.”
Taylor - Thanks for catching that Lin, got to love spelling autocorrect that changes words without you realizing it. I am not sure how it would taste using flowers ha ha. Thanks for the comment!
Ben - That looks great. I only eat made from scratch mac n’ cheese. The blue box was never my cup of tea. I also tried the lemoncello myself. It was delicious.
Memoria - Oh man that last shot is amazing. I want to reach in and grab that slightly-toasty, cheesy noodle. I’m going to try out this recipe ASAP.
Robin - That looks SO unbelievably delicious. Mac and cheese is the way to my heart and these photos are making me drool!!!
Amanda - You had me at “heavy cream”
100th post spectacular! - [...] #3 [...]
Dachshunds, Roses, and Dirt… - [...] first time making chocolate pudding ( I have made pudding for banana pudding countless times). Like macaroni and cheese, home made is far superior to the boxed kind. I will definitely be experimenting more with pudding [...]
Te - I made this, and it was by far the best mac n cheese I’ve ever made or tasted! I The only thing I didn’t use was onions, but still GREAT!
Amy - I just made this this evening for my husband’s birthday. The entire family loved it. I think the onions and the cayenne pepper really set it apart from the normally bland homemade mac and cheese.
Janis - This is seriously the best Mac & Cheese ever
Hollie Haggie - Looks Devine!! Can’t wait to try it myself, how much does the recipe make? I’m still a beginner cook
christina johnson - My mother-in-law makes the best mac n cheese but will not share the recipe. Last Thanksgiving when I was helping her with the prep work, I thought this is it she will share the recipe. I woke up the next morning, mac n cheese was already cooked and cooling on the counter!!!! She is so sneaky lol!Thank you for this recipe!!!!
Mdwstwmn - I increased the amount of pasta to one pound and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe, it is a keeper! I made it for Thanksgiving meal.
Liebe - Lovely, lovely Mac & cheese recipe! We served it as a side for our Christmas dinner. The spice was a nice change but next time I think I’ll cut back the cayenne to just a pinch. The teens & adults loved it but the younger ones found it too spicy. This recipe has earned regular rotation status!
Lovely - I followed this recipe, but didnt have an onion and added like half the amount of cayenne & salt and a little more cheese. By far the best mac n cheese ive ever had. No more blue box for me!!! Yum! I think i wil hav sum for breakfast!!