Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

I could waste time giving you the reasons I’m posting this today and not last night, as promised, but why waste valuable time? No, let’s get on with the mac and cheese!!

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You’ll need milk, elbow macaroni noodles, butter or margarine, two eggs, cheese, and paprika. Easy, right?

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First you’ll need two cups of macaroni noodles. I enjoyed playing with them… in fact, I just had to keep playing with them until I managed to get a picture with some of the noodles falling into the bowl. What? Water? Oh, right…

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Boil salted water…

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Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions.

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When the noodles are done, drain them well and return them to the pan.

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Add 4 tablespoons, or 1/2 stick of margarine or butter and stir until melted.

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Stir in 2 cups of your cheddar cheese.

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In a separate bowl, combine 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk.

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whisk them together…

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Then add the mixture to your noodles and cheese in the pan.

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Stir it all together until well combined.

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Spoon your macaroni and cheese mixture into a greased 8×8 pan.

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Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top (or however much you feel like!)

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Sprinkle paprika on top of the cheese.

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Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the casserole is cooked through. And forever be annoyed that I didn’t notice my camera strap was in the picture.

The Recipe
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

2 cups uncooked macaroni
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well, return to the pot. Add butter and stir until melted. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with the milk. Add milk mixture to the macaroni and stir until well combined. Spoon into greased pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned and the casserole is cooked through.

57 Comments so far

  1. jamezu on February 5th, 2008

    Hey jenn! watching you cook again! what a lovely sight.. i like pasta and anything tomato based n_n

  2. Ella on February 6th, 2008

    This looks great! I never thought to put paprika on top of the cheese. It gives such a nice color, that my mouth is watering as I type this :)

  3. A scientist in the kitchen on February 6th, 2008

    My oh my, that’s look really sumptuous!

  4. Alison on February 6th, 2008

    That looks very tasty indeed!

  5. nathan on February 6th, 2008

    Wow. That’s really easy. However, I would probably add things to it, like cooked chicken, or veggies for a little variety. But it’s a super-easy base that can be customized to your liking!

  6. Deez on February 6th, 2008

    Great Recipe!

    Godawful boiling pot! Throw out that non-stick pot you used to boil the pasta immediately!!!

    The chemicals in non-stick cookware can make you very sick if they flake off and get in your food. Your pot in particular is badly scratched and should be thrown out and replaced before you ever use it again. If I can see the scratches just from looking at a photo i’m sure they are bad enough to warrant replacing the pot.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not gonna get up on a soapbox and hoot and holler that non-stick pans are the work of the devil. They just need replacing when they wear out.

    Great Recipe and Nice pics

  7. derin on February 6th, 2008

    that scratched non-stick will kill you by cancer

  8. Dawn on February 6th, 2008

    Hi, My mother never grated the cheese when she made mac and cheese. She would cut it up into small cubes but other than that you have her recipe. I make it a little differently though. I use only one egg and no milk. I beat the egg and pour it over the cooked macaroni before the cheese cubes get mixed in, stirring as it goes in. My children never ate boxed mac and cheese growing up, only my mom’s version and mine.

  9. elle on February 7th, 2008

    that is nothing more than a heart attack in a pan – seriously- if this is considered “american diet,” no wonder the nation has such an obesity problem… 1/2 a stick of butter and never ending pile of cheese- sheesh!

  10. Vic on February 7th, 2008

    Eggs in Mac&Cheese???? Yuck! Drop the eggs and the butter …..for cheese use 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cream cheese…lower fat and creamier!

  11. lipton on February 7th, 2008

    That looks…completely scrumtrulescent. It is brilliance, on a plate.

  12. Drew (aka The BenSpark) on February 7th, 2008

    Looks delicious. We will have to make that sometime.

  13. Ann Clemmons on February 7th, 2008

    I think I might actually be able to make this macaroni and cheese casserole. Thank you for posting the pictures along with the recipe, and you have a great sense of humor. I found you through Entrecard, and I’m glad I did. I’ll be back~

    Have a nice day~

    Ann

  14. LeeAnn on February 7th, 2008

    Hmm, this sounds interesting. Definitely something I will try soon.

  15. Rob on February 7th, 2008

    The eggs were a surprise. I’ve been cooking this dish(without eggs) for years, but your version beats it. I said nothing, but the boys and my wife all asked what I had done different, it tasted so good. On the down side, there were no left-overs.
    Thanks for the post.
    Rob

  16. Saba on February 8th, 2008

    Does one really need a recipe for this old favourite – let alone make such a to-do about it.

  17. Devonia on February 8th, 2008

    You’ve laid this out so even I can do it. Thank you!

  18. Michael on February 8th, 2008

    I love macaroni and cheese. I can finish one large bowl in one sitting!

  19. Ang. on February 8th, 2008

    I will be trying this one this week. (Although I will have to double it!)

  20. lori on February 8th, 2008

    yuck.

  21. Jules on February 8th, 2008

    I am making this TONIGHT! Yum!

  22. Jules on February 8th, 2008

    Macaroni on the stove boiling :) Where did my comment go from earlier?

  23. coach kwang on February 10th, 2008

    My kids love mac and cheese, but your look so good
    going to make it like your tonight

  24. Kat on February 11th, 2008

    WTF

    Whatever happened to cheese sauce!

  25. Les Becker on February 11th, 2008

    I have to tell you, Jenn, how glad I am to have found your blog! I DON’T cook. I CAN cook, but I HATE it (wow, how vehement am I?! lol!)!

    Last night I printed out the Chili Mac and Macaroni and Cheese recipes, simply because they sounded simple, easy, and FAST (and the pics make them look delicious!). Because of you, maybe for the next couple of days we’ll eat better than take-out and the only other two “home-made” dinners I can be bothered to make – tuna casserole gets “old” after awhile. Sigh…*

    You keep cooking and posting please… I NEED you! :-D

  26. Loretta on February 12th, 2008

    PAPRIKA!!!! I bet that’s the ingredient I’m always missing in my mac n cheese bake! Genius ;-)

  27. Red on February 15th, 2008

    Shame on you! Blue Bonnet! Altered fats cause coronary disease! At least use real butter for cryin out loud, otherwise looks delish. Carry on.

  28. Pamela on February 15th, 2008

    I just wanted to say I made this recipe last week and we really enjoyed it. I did add diced up ham to it before I put it in the baking pan and it turned out great. thanks for the great meal!

  29. bill kolb on February 18th, 2008

    Looks great…needs stewed tomatoes on the side (to be added to the individual portions) to make it the family classic I remember fondly.

  30. joey bone on February 18th, 2008

    it’s macaroni and cheese, you sycophants.

  31. JT on February 19th, 2008

    Awesome recipe….but wow – that’s alot of cheese..

  32. Hops on February 19th, 2008

    Just yesterday I decided I wanted to make homemade baked mac & cheese and voila! The wonders of stumbleupon. This looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!

  33. [...] couple of people commented on my Macaroni and Cheese Casserole about the state of my pans. Yes, I admit, they are rather sad. Most of what I have is what is left [...]

  34. Charity on February 24th, 2008

    I’d never have thought to put eggs in my mac & cheese. Then again, I cringe at every single recipe I’ve seen for it that uses flour. :) I don’t bake mine though, don’t have an oven that works right now. LOL

    As for the pans, I’ve seen FAR worse than that and have cooked with far worse than those! I’ve actually cooked with pans that you could literally see the flakes of the non-stick coating when you would stir the food. Those pans got tossed because I had proof the coating was getting in my food, but still. I’ve had pans that were scratched up much worse than those. It’d be easier to replace them if they weren’t so darned expensive!

  35. HotMama Mathe on February 25th, 2008

    I am really beginning to appreciate the value of EntreCard dropping as I keep on stumbling upon wonderful sites – like yours. I will try doing this gorgeous yet simple pasta dish. In fact, I have bought all the ingredients already. I hope I will do justice to your recipe. But the ever veggie lover that I am, I will add chopped red bell pepper. Yum-yum! Thanks for sharing and am inviting you to please visit my site as well. Bye, Jenn!

  36. Lisa365 on March 4th, 2008

    This looks SO yummy! I’m going to have to try it now… thanks for sharing! I love your blog! :D

  37. MarcRoger on March 10th, 2008

    WOW! This looks YUMMY! how much does this cost?

  38. Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheesey on August 5th, 2008

    [...] with box mac … but sometimes you just want something a little more flavorful. So, inspired by Jenn’s mac ‘n cheese casserole, and all the left over stromboli ingredients from the hub’s birthday dinner sitting in my [...]

  39. [...] Macaroni and Cheese Casserole Chocolate Chip [...]

  40. Randall on January 14th, 2009

    Camera strap? Took awhile to see it. Couldn’t, can’t quit looking at pic. OMG! It looks so good.

  41. Brian on January 16th, 2009

    That looks like mac and cheese I would actually eat. Wow. I’m going to give that recipe a try.

  42. GrammaB on January 21st, 2009

    Sounds rather like the recipe my grandmother used only she added a small can of tomato sauce. Gave it a different kick, very good.

  43. StevieHRFirepants on February 7th, 2009

    It’s just a pasta bake! Nice, simple comfort food. Fair enough. But is there really anyone out there who doesn’t know how to do things like this already?

  44. James Smallwood on June 13th, 2009

    I cook everyday in a vagarie of genre, and, no, stevei, not everyone has made or know about paprika and egg in comfort mac, is delicious, amdm takig to the girtls at work 2 morrow with my balsamic garlic cranberry chicken,,,, this mac is scrumptuous…

  45. randy on June 18th, 2009

    That Mac and Cheese looks sooooo good! It looks the way it ought to be made. I have the ‘box’ variety but…well…I’m a bachelour so go figure. I shall mend the error of my ways and cook this really good comfort food that you have shared. Thanks again for making my life a little cheesier…in a good way.

    Best Wishes and good eatin’—Randy

  46. Kevin on August 12th, 2009

    Mac and Cheese is a great thing. It can be even better with a few simple tweaks.

    1) Get rid of the Kraft cheese and get creative with some good cheese made by folks who actually care about cheesemaking. Look into some applewood-smoked Cheddar, Gruyere, Gorgonzola (a little goes a long way), REAL Parmigiano-Reggiano (NOT from the shiny green can) or a combination of the four.

    2) If you like paprika, you’ll LOVE something the Spanish call ‘pimenton’ or smoked paprika. They come in sweet (dulce) or hot (picante) varieties and add a lot of depth of flavor. They are quite potent, so use it little by little until the dish tastes right. You can always add more – but you never can take it out once it’s in there.

    3) A good handful of chopped parsley (or any other fresh, springy herb such as cilantro or basil) mixed through at the very end would bring a nice, fresh, herby note to the dish – adding yet another layer of depth and lifting the overall flavor.

  47. clint on January 23rd, 2010

    WOW, just had dinner with my two sons. their question was will teach mom (my daughter) how to make mac & cheese… thank you

  48. Miranda on February 8th, 2010

    I made this tonight (doubling the recipe) for our Super Bowl party: it was super easy to make (which is good since I’m an awful cook) and everyone loved it….thanks for sharing!

  49. Jane on February 14th, 2010

    THANKS so much for this recipe. I never liked my mother’s recipe growing up, and a friend gave me this recipe which I lost..but NOW FOUND!! YES!!

    For the person who commented that ‘no wonder American’s have health problems, eating like this’
    well, live long enough as I have, and past generations by eating ‘homemade’ foods, even butter in moderation of course, and stop all the fast food stuff and prepackaged!!
    My generation DID not actually use butter, but rather this lard stuff with color in it!! and we shall outlive the generation who wants it fast!
    For those who would critize, well, how about saying ‘thankyou’ and keeping your comments to yourself!!
    Thanks again for the great recipe!!

  50. Jane on March 20th, 2010

    Yes, I’m a healthy 67 years old and we ate this stuff….don’t have high cholestrol either!!
    I’m here to say that the person who gave us this recipe gave the old fashion version, although we used velveeta growing up!! NO tomatos please!!
    Plain and simple food, no prepacked ever!!
    Just say thanks to the woman, and leave out the critism!!
    Great recipe!!

  51. Christina on July 6th, 2010

    I made this for my boyfriend and he loved it. It was simple to make and inexpensive.

    Thank You

  52. miranda on August 5th, 2010

    I love the paprika idea! Makes it look beautiful. Reading the posts, I must say

  53. Brianna on August 14th, 2010

    Thanks this is just the type of recipe I was looking for!

  54. lois on August 19th, 2010

    this is a awful!!!!!!!! I spent a lot of money on this and my family did not touch it. It tasted like egg. AWFUL TASTE EGG AND PASTA

  55. Alissa on August 30th, 2010

    This was an amazing recipe! I picked it because of how appetizing it looks and it was delicious!

  56. Alessandrah on October 1st, 2010

    I made this for my brother and sisters and we totally loved it. Thanks for the recipe. :)

  57. Renee on December 29th, 2010

    We are having mac ‘n cheese contest. My mom says hers is the best. I like my sister’s more (shshshsh) but this… this looks like a winner!! I added all beef pre-cooked bacon… hey its not New Year’s yet — no one makes December resolutions. Cant wait for it to get out the oven.

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