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Best Recipe of The Month
The Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1-pound box of elbow macaroni
The following cheese can be purchased shredded or block style, but if you purchase the block style you will need to cut one of the blocks into bite-size squares and hand shred the other block for the cheese topping.
1-8-ounce package of block of sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small chunks
1 small bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping
1 heaping tablespoon of butter or margarine
1-12 ounce can of evaporated milk
1 small container of Sour Cream
A dash of mustard
1 large or 2-small eggs, well-beaten
Seasoning salt, Paprika and/or Garlic Powder (optional)
More Margarine for topping before baking
Prepare elbow macaroni as directed on the box but do not over-cook because the macaroni will swell a little more, not much, but certainly a little more while it is baking in the oven.
Drain the macaroni and set it to the side while you prepare the cheese sauce.
In the same pot you used to cook the macaroni, melt on low-heat the 1-heaping tablespoon of margarine.
Then add the 1 can of evaporated milk, the entire small container of Sour Cream and the dash of mustard.
Stir and blend together keeping the heat very low.
Next add the block Sharp Cheddar Cheese that is cut into cubes or small chunks into the can milk/Sour Cream mixture.
Stir and blend on low heat continuously until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce mixture.
Stir in the dash of mustard.
Turn off the heat.
Gradually add in the macaroni, approximately a cup at a time, blending it into the cheese sauce thoroughly.
You are adding the cooked macaroni a cup at a time because you want to make sure that your cheese sauce stays creamy. Adding all of the macaroni at once may end up being too much macaroni and may make your finished product too dry.
When all of the macaroni has been added that you're going to use to the cheese sauce, blend it all together very well.
The mixture should NOT look dry. The mixture should still look extra-creamy. If it does not, add a little water or preferably milk to get that creamy look.
Quickly add in the well-beaten egg and stir in vigorously to blend the egg all through your pot of creamy macaroni and cheese sauce.
This not only holds your Macaroni and Cheese together but it also makes the Macaroni and Cheese finished product rise and kind of look souffle' like.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Use an oblong deep-sided baking dish or pan appropriate in size to bake your macaroni and cheese mixture. (Macaroni and cheese should lie at least 2 inches deep in your baking dish).
Completely cover the entire top of the macaroni and cheese with the 8-ounce package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Spread the cheese evenly across the top. Season the top lightly with your favorite seasoning such as, season-salt, paprika, touch of garlic powder or maybe some other kind of grated cheese like Parmesan, Romano or Feta Cheese.
Do not use Mozzarella.
Last but not least...strategically place tabs of butter or margarine around the top of the Macaroni and Cheese to help brown the top in spots and juice it up.
Place your macaroni and cheese dish or pan on a cookie sheet and slide it into the oven.
Bake the macaroni and cheese at 400 degrees until hot, bubbly and brown in spots on top. Approximately 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the macaroni and cheese from the oven and let it stand undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve.
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