Alright y’all. As promised, I’m sharing this homemade Mac & Cheese recipe. The key to this recipe is baking with a Deep Dish Cast Iron skillet. Cast Iron skillets are great because they heat evenly. Food cooks faster without the headache of adjusting temperature. Another important thing to keep in mind when making this is the quality of cheese. I’m not saying break the bank, but buy a good quality cheese. It is time consuming, but shredding your own cheese provides a better result. Some of the pre-shredded cheeses contain fillers that make it nearly impossible for the cheese to melt properly. If you do buy shredded cheese, use a “creamy-melt” or the cheese available in the deli area. Let’s get into it!
RECIPE
- 2 32oz containers of chicken stock
- 1 box of elbow macaroni noodles (more or less depending on how much you’re making)
- 8-9 cups of your favorite cheese (I use Mozzarella, Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar & Monterey Jack and 4 oz of Velveeta Cheese. This translates to 4 bags of cheese and a 8oz block of Velveeta cheese. If you use bag cheese, please use the Creamy Melt, otherwise shred your own fresh cheese. )
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- Salt & Pepper to taste (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- 1 stick of butter
Pre-heat your over to 375 degrees. Boil your noodles in the chicken stock. You don’t want to cook the noodles completely because they will cook more in the oven.
Drain noodles. Add noodles to a large bowl and add your butter–stir lightly. Add the sour cream and mix in.
Add a little salt and pepper. Then add about 2-3 cups of cheese to the mixture and stir. Set aside and grab another bowl.
In your fresh bowl, add the eggs, milk, and heavy cream and whisk together–set aside
Next, grease your Cast Iron really well with butter or olive oil to prevent sticking.
Once completed, add a layer of the macaroni mixture to the skillet, then a layer of cheese, and then pour in some of the milk mixture and repeat this process two more times.
You want to add about a cup or so of the milk mixture at a time. When you get to your final layer of cheese, make sure it covers all of the noodles. You really want to be heavy handed on the top layer of cheese. It needs to brown nicely in the oven.
Bake on 375 for 50-60 mins.
SIDE NOTE: Think of this recipe as a lasagna. All you’re doing is layering. You should have 3 layers of noodles, cheese, and milk mixture by the time you are done. If you are using a regular Cast Iron skillet and not a deep dish, you will only have 2 layers. I suggest reserving 1 cup of the milk mixture if using a regular Cast Iron. This is a recipe you can’t ruin. You can use as much cheese as you want. The only step I recommend following exactly is the milk mixture. If you use less cheese than recommended , you may want to cut down on the amount of milk and cream you use because you don’t want it to come out soupy. But honestly, if you’re not going to use a lot a cheese, don’t bother making this. It is not meant to be healthy, it’s meant to taste good! If you try this recipe, take a picture and tag me! I hope you enjoy!
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