Family Traditional Side Dish
Homemade macaroni and cheese is my family’s tradition. Most families have a recipe that is passed down, or they wish it had been written down. This is mine. My German grandmother, “Mamaw,” cooked this oven-baked macaroni and cheese for every significant holiday family gathering. It was a family favorite. She never had a recipe.
When I was little, my Mamaw would seemingly dump these ingredients together without measuring, and it would turn out perfect each time. My mom realized the treasure of a traditional dish like this one needed to be written down. I am grateful that my mom recorded the recipe while watching my Mamaw. She was having her pause so that my mom could measure what Mamaw was putting in.
We keep the tradition alive every Thanksgiving and Christmas. The way I rave about it, you would think it would be detailed and require a lot of ingredients. It is super simple and requires only four ingredients. Its simplicity is some of the appeal. It is not fancy but delicious.
The tradition of the dish at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special dinner, continues through four generations of our family.
My Mamaw passed away in 1994, but her memory remains. We remember and talk, with love, about her every time that we make this great dish. It is delicious and memorable because I can picture my Mamaw making it to this day.
Ingredients Details
Elbow Macaroni – The elbow macaroni that I use is just the traditional. If you wanted a healthier option, you could use wheat noodles. Also, the traditional elbow macaroni noodle is not a must. You could use shells or pretty much any noodle shape you would prefer.
Milk – I use whole milk or sometimes 2% milk. Again, this is a preference. The whole milk will make it naturally creamier than the 2% or skim milk.
American Cheese – I think this makes this dish, besides the butter, yummy. The American cheese you can buy at the deli or some stores have it in a block in the dairy department. In the past, we always used Kraft block American cheese. They discontinued that particular one in my area, so we began buying from the deli. I ask them for a chunk instead of slices so that I can shred it. I have known some people to use Velveeta, but it is not the same.
Butter – Margarine can be substituted, and I have before, for a healthier alternative. The real salted butter does make it creamier.
Tips for Preparing Ahead of Time
I can prepare quite a bit before actually putting it together. This works great for those busy, hectic dinners. For huge meals like Thanksgiving, I will grate the cheese the day before. This is the most time-consuming part of making the recipe. I love my Presto salad shooter. I cut my American cheese into chunks that will fit and stuff it in the shooter. Then all I have to do is push the pieces of cheese down, and in no time, I have the one-and-a-half cups of cheese needed for the recipe.
Having the cheese grated ahead of time allows for simply cooking the noodles, combining the ingredients, and then baking. You could also boil the noodles the day before and combine all the ingredients. The next day you would need to adjust the time since the dish would go from refrigerated to hot.
On the day of the dinner, I boil water and dump in my one cup of elbow macaroni. I salt this to taste. I drain the noodles and put them in my CorningWare casserole dish with butter, milk, and cheese. Stir till all the ingredients are spread throughout.
The temperature and time to cook can vary. When the macaroni and cheese is ready, the cheese will turn slightly golden in places and bubbling. Once they are al dente (almost done).
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Oven Baked
Equipment
- 1 Presto salad shooter
Ingredients
- 1 cup elbow noodles cook before combining with other ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk whole milk, preferably
- 1 ½ cups american cheese shredded
Instructions
- Boil macaroni until barely done. Salt to taste. Drain
- Combine milk, butter, shredded american cheese, and macaroni in a casserole dish.
- Stir well to begin melting the butter and spreading the cheese around.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes
Nutrition
Check out my other side dish recipes:
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