It seems like there are endless recipe variations on macaroni and cheese; however my family is not a big fan of cheese sauce-based macaroni and cheese. It seems to dilute the cheese flavor. This simple but tasty recipe was given to me at a church supper in Terre Haute; it's old, definitely has German or Jewish (kugel?) roots. The secret is to use a good-quality EXTRA-SHARP Cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 0.25 cups butter , Optional
- 2 large eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk , 12 fluid ounce
- 0.5 cans sweetened condensed milk , 14 ounce
- 1.5 pounds extra-sharp Cheddar cheese , shredded
- 1 pinch paprika , or to taste
- 0.25 cups butter , Optional
- 0.5 cups soft bread crumbs , Optional
Instructions
-
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole with butter.
-
2
Dissolve salt in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook macaroni, stirring often, until pasta is tender but still slightly firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Rinse macaroni under cool water, drain, and transfer to a bowl. Stir 1/4 cup softened butter into macaroni and toss a few times to melt butter and coat macaroni.
-
3
Beat eggs in a bowl; whisk evaporated and condensed milks into eggs.
-
4
Spread a layer of macaroni into the bottom of the prepared casserole; sprinkle with a layer of Cheddar cheese. Continue layering macaroni and cheese, ending with a layer of cheese on top. Pour egg-milk mixture over the layers. Use a fork to gently dig into the layers, assuring that the egg-milk mixture flows into all the layers. Sprinkle with paprika.
-
5
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook bread crumbs in the hot butter, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle crumb topping over casserole.
-
6
Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is browned and bubbling, about 45 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
Want to cook this?
Open in the PantryLink app to scale servings, check your pantry stock, and generate a shopping list.
Sign In to Save Recipe Create Free AccountSuggest an Edit
Help improve this recipe's categorization, image, or dietary info. Earn points and badges!
Suggest Changes in AppPrefer a printed copy? Use our print-friendly view with adjustable servings and font size.
Open Print ViewMore Unknown Recipes
Joe's Fusion Chicken Pad Thai
My girlfriend and I were craving pad Thai! So we looked at a few recipes and made our version. It is not exactly traditional pad Thai, so -- lo and behold -- the name!
Sri Lankan Watalappam (Easy Method)
Sri Lankan watalappam (watalappan) made the easy way.
Giant King Cake Pop-Tart
This festive Mardi Gras mashup is perfect for anyone seeking a lower-effort alternative to homemade king cake. The key to keeping this recipe big and easy is store-bought puff pastry--which encases a gooey cinnamon-sugar filling and is frosted with a decadent cream cheese glaze. So while it's certainly not a traditional king cake, this giant brown sugar-cinnamon tart does offer a similarly flaky, buttery, and sweetly delicious pastry experience. In place of the plastic baby typically that's hidden in a king cake after it's finished baking, you can always tuck an almond or other nut.