From The Supermarket Handbook by Nikki and David Goldbeck:

Baked Noodles and Cheese

8 oz. noodles, cook per directions, drain
2 1/4 cups grated cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 TB butter

Layer noodles and 2 cups of the cheese alternately in a large, shallow baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Beat together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over noodles and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and dot with butter. Bake at 375 F degrees for 25 minutes or until set.

I like to add some hot sauce or a dash of cayenne pepper to the egg/milk mixture. Buttered bread crumbs could be used for the top instead of cheese.

hi marcia! your ears must have been burning because i was just talking (on the cooking forum) about the buckwheat noodles with brown butter and cabbage recipe from that wonderful book you sent me. we really have enjoyed the first few things we've made from it--thanx again!

my mother made mac and cheese very similar to teresa's recipe--just love it! pure comfort food... this cheese sauce unfortunately has more fat in it :( but it does great things for plain old macaroni as well as steamed brocolli or cauliflower! so if you want a little change, you might want to check this out sometime too.

Cheese Fondue

Melt together in a double boiler:

¾ C milk
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp dry mustard (I like a little more)
a grinding or two of pepper
1 C mayonnaise
2 C (about ¾#) sharp Cheddar, shredded

Pour into a fondue pot and serve with your favorite bread. It also is very good over steamed broccoli or use to make a quick dish of macaroni and cheese. Add a little parmesan and some bread crumbs on top and bake for 20 minutes.

This isn't fancy & the combo of cheeses is good.

TRIPLE CHEESE MACARONI (serves 8)
2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Salt to taste
6 oz sharp Cheddar, shredded
6 oz Monterey Jack, shredded
5 TBL + 1 tsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 TBL + 2 tsp butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 TBL melted butter
1/2 tsp paprika
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water per pkg directions; drain.
Combine the macaroni, 1/2 of the Cheddar, 1/2 of the Monterey Jack & 5 TBL + 1 tsp butter & mix well. Spoon into a buttered shallow 3 qt baking dish.
Beat the cream cheese in a mixer bowl while gradually adding the evaporated milk. Beat until blended. Spoon over the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle w/the remaining Cheddar & Monterey Jack. Dot with 2 TBL + 2 tsp butter.
Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
Combine the crumbs, 1 TBL butter & paprika in a bowl & mix well. Sprinkle over the baked layer. Bake 10 minutes longer. NOTE: If prepared in advance, do not add the cream cheese mixture until just before baking.~~Texas Ties

And here's a real basic one you might like:
MACARONI & CHEESE
1 1/2 cups macaroni
1 1/4 cups milk
3 TBL butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion, chopped
1 cup soft bread crumbs (in large bowl)
2 eggs, well beaten
3 cups Cheddar, grated

Cook macaroni until tender. Add butter to milk in small pan to melt as milk scalds. Mix salt & onion to warmed milk. Pour over the bread crumbs. Add eggs & 1/2 the cheese. Mix all together with the macaroni. Place in a greased baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese & bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned & knife inserted in casserole comes out clean. (Spice it up with some hot sauce too, if you like.)~~Pastors' Wives Cookbook

Here's one that is about as classic as you can get. It is almost exactly like my Mom used to make, and I ain't no spring chicken, LOL! You can crumble potato chips on it instead of crackers, and that is good but different.

Baked Mac & Cheese

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 to 5 tsp of butter
1 cup milk
2 tsp dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup crunched up saltine crackers

Mix together the milk and onion and set aside so the onion can absorb some of the milk.

Put half the cooked macaroni in a large baking dish (you'll need one with a lid). Sprinkle half the Cheddar over it. Add the rest of the macaroni in, then sprinkle with remaining Cheddar. Dot with the teaspoons of butter, then pour the milk and onions over. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the crunched saltine crackers over the top. Cover with glass lid and bake at about 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (you can take off the lid for the last 5 minutes to get the saltines a little crisp).

I make this one with modifications as to what's in the fridge.
Cheese kinds, usually mix. Always add some sharp.
Sometimes I add in 4oz of cream cheese too, and not as much sour cream.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mac N Cheese

You might want to double this recipe if you're cooking for more than a small family.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 cup cooked noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup velvetta cheese (cut into small cubes)
2 eggs

Mix all. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This can be mixed and refrigerated the day before you need to cook it.

I always prefer a mac & cheese that has eggs. They give a more custard feel to the dish and not a "noodles with cheese sauce"
taste.

Me too, Bumblebeez. Here's my two cents (and it's super easy!)

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE

(Mr. Food's All Day Macaroni and Cheese)

8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place cooked macaroni in slow cooker that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve 1 cup cheese; add rest of cheese and the other ingredients to the macaroni. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cook on HIGH at least 2-1/2 hours. Do not remove cover or stir until ready to serve. Check for doneness regularly, as the temperature of crockpots varies.

Wow nevah heard of "eggs" in it..
That is a nifty idea though!
Thanks for sharing that one!

This is soooo good.
Patti LaBelle's Over the Rainbow Mac-n-cheese
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter PLUS 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups half & half
1 cup Velveeta, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350:. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart casserole. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add the oil then the elbow macaroni and cook until macaroni is just tender (about 7 minutes). Do not overcook. Drain well and return to the pot.
In a small saucepan, melt the first measure of butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar cheese and the Monterey Jack cheese. To the macaroni, add the half & half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheeses, the cubed Velveeta and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and dot with the remaining butter.
Bake until it is bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Wow mustangs! How to revive a dead thread! Out of the blue I get an e-mail with a mac and cheese recipe!! Thanks!

I remember in high school when a friend invited me over to her house for dinner. You don't want to know how long ago THAT was!! Anyway, her father was an undertaker and I was a little creeped out by that but went anyway. I was richly rewarded when her mom made THE BEST mac and cheese I have ever tasted and I remember it had a several kinds of cheese in it and diced onions and bread crumbs and that's all I remember. I also remember my friend enjoyed it so much she hummed and rocked through the entire meal, not something I ever forgot!!

Cathy, that is the mac-n-cheese recipe that I use, too! How funny is that?

Haven't made it in a while...better wait until I work off the butter from the croissants I have ingested in the last couple days! LOL

Linda

Linda, I have been thinking about this for our Comfort Food night at PFPP along with AnnT's Grilled Meatloaf.

We have a restaurant here in Clovis, CA that makes Mac & Cheese that...."hummed and rocked through the entire meal, she enjoyed it so much" pretty much describes it.

Now you've gone and made me hungry for it. ;^)

I tried the Patti LaBelle recipe for tonight's supper. Maybe I put it in too shallow of a dish, but I thought it a little dry... not as creamy as I expected. I'll need to try it again in a deeper dish because the taste was great.

Westelle, Perhaps you have identified the problem. I haven't encountered that issue, but I use my lasagna pan, which is deep.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb rigatoni
1/4 lb sliced ham, mortadella, salami (whatever), cut into short strips (optional)
butter
1 lb shredded mozzarella
grated parmesan
1 cup defrosted frozen peas (optional)
bread crumbs
garlic powder
1 egg, whisked
grated nutmeg

1. Boil the rigatoni until al dente; drain it and put it in a large warm bowl with parmesan, butter, and
a twist of black pepper. Let it stand till you need it.
2. Butter a 2-quart casserole.
3. Add about 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Tilt the casserole back and forth, round and round, to get an even coating of crumbs on sides and bottom. Empty any remaining crumbs onto a dish for use later.
4. Whisk the egg and add it to crumbed casserole. Swish this around till it covers the first layer of crumbs, sides and bottom. If you're doing two small casseroles, you can add "an egg" of water to extend this.
5. Pour in more crumbs. Tilt the casserole around until these cover the egg. Pour off any excess. This forms the crust.
6. Cut the ham into small strips or squares.
7. Spoon a layer of rigatoni (about 1/4 of the total) onto the bottom of the casserole.
8. Sprinkle the rigatoni with about 1/4 of the mozzarella, about 1/4 of the ham, about 1/4 of the peas, (get the idea?) some parmesan and garlic powder, and a dash of nutmeg. We often throw in some chopped onion or red and green pepper.
9. Repeat this layering until you have used up everything.

10. Dust the top with bread crumbs and some more parmesan.
11. Bake it at 350° for 15 minutes, uncovered.
12. Put a cover on the casserole and continue baking it another 15 minutes.
13. Let it stand a bit before you serve it.

"The Best Macaroni and Cheese", in "The Perfect Recipe Cookbook", really is the best except that, for their "any mild cheese" I substitute 3 parts cheddar & 1 part Parmesan to boost the flavor. What makes it really special is having eggs in it, and -- most important, texture-wise -- holding out 1/4 of the cheese & a small amount of the evaporated milk, half to be stirred in after it has baked briefly, then the rest stirred in after another 5 minutes, then bake it for the final 5 minutes. (To stir in additions w/out smudging your casserole's sides -- since you'll serve in it -- add to the middle & neatly pile stuff from the outside edges over the addition, after which only a brief stir will be enough.) And, as others have suggested, fresh buttered breadcrumbs, toasted, make a great topping.

This is our favorite.......can't begin to tell you how good it is!

THE ULTIMATE MAC & CHEESE

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups good quality white crusty bread, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 qt. (4 cups) half & half
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups vintage white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 pound large macaroni with grooves

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and set aside a 9x13 casserole dish. Place bread in a bowl. Melt 4 Tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Pour butter into the bowl with the bread and toss to combine. Set breadcrumbs aside.

Melt 6 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over med heat. When butter melts, add flour. Cook, whisking 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in milk and half and half and add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and nutmeg. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 cups sharp cheddar, 1 cup vintage white, 1 cup Swiss, and 1 cup parmesan; set cheese sauce aside. Blend the remaining cheese and set aside.

Cook macaroni in boiling water 2-3 minutes less than the manufacturer's directions. Transfer macaroni to a colander,rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Add salt and pepper to taste and add 2 tbsp butter. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni.

Pour mixture into 9x13" dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese and bread crumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.