Mary Mac’s Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
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I’ve been wanting to find an easy oven baked macaroni and cheese recipe to take to all the upcoming holiday dinners and my trip to Atlanta did the trick for me! It introduced me to Mary Mac’s Tea Room. If you’re not familiar, Mary Mac’s is an Atlanta institution and someplace EVERYBODY has been!
What you will ❤️ about Mary Mac’s Oven Baked Mac & Cheese
- Quick! This recipe is simple and I put it together in just 10 minutes!
- Comforting! You can’t get more comforting than pasta and cheese baked in the oven!
- Popular! This recipe has been viewed nearly 200K times and is my #1 holiday recipe!
How do you make oven baked macaroni and cheese from scratch?
This easy oven baked macaroni and cheese was only a few steps! Let’s do it:
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Cook macaroni according to package directions.
- Spray baking dish with non-stick spray
- TIP: I used 7″x9″ dish – feel free to double if you’re making for a crowd!
- In large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add evaporated milk, salt, pepper, sugar, butter and hot sauce to eggs and whisk to combine.
- Spread half of cooked macaroni in the baking dish
- Pour half of the milk mixture on top of the noodles
- Spread half of the cheese mixture on top.
- Repeat the layers of noodles, milk and cheese – ending with the cheese.
- Sprinkle paprika over the cheese and bake at 350º for 35 minutes until set.
Mary Mac’s Mac & Cheese Recipe Ingredients
Mary Mac’s is a staple in Atlanta and their dishes are simple, home-made and delicious. No fancy ingredients here – this is what you’ll need:
- eggs
- evaporated milk – this is the secret!
- salt & white pepper
- granulated sugar
- salted butter
- hot sauce
- cooked elbow macaroni
- extra sharp cheddar cheese – you can use any variety of cheddar you like – sharp cheddar is my favorite for mac & cheese
- paprika
What is the secret ingredient?
Look at that cheese!!! This simple baked macaroni and cheese doesn’t have flour but it does have a secret ingredient: evaporated milk!
I was curious about why evaporated milk? Sixty percent of the water is removed from evaporated milk which makes it creamier and thicker.
Don’t have evaporated milk? You could also use:
- heavy cream (1 cup for 1 cup)
- a combo of whole milk & half and half (1/2 cup of each = 1 cup EM)
- milk with butter added to to it (3/4 cup milk + 1/4 cup butter = 1 cup EM)
Mary Mac’s Tea Room Recipes
I’ve fallen in love with my cookbook and have made numerous recipes – the #1 is Mary Mac’s Tomato Pie recipe. My personal favorite was their Chicken Fried Chicken though – it’s so delicious! And you can’t go wrong with homemade fresh creamed corn – you’ll never eat the canned again.
What goes with Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese?
More Mary Mac’s Recipes
Copycat Mary Mac’s Tea Room Oven Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp salted butter melted
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 pound cooked elbow macaroni
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Spray square baking dish with non-stick spray
- In large bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Add evaporated milk, salt, pepper, sugar, butter and hot sauce to eggs and whisk
- Spread half of macaroni in the baking dish
- Pour half of the milk mixture on top of the noodles
- Spread half of the cheese mixture on top.
- Repeat the layers of noodles, milk and cheese – ending with the cheese.
- Sprinkle paprika over the cheese
- Bake for 35 minutes until set.
That looks fabulous!!
Would using a full box be too much for this specific recipe or do I need to double it?
If using a whole pound – double the recipe
Any chance you could put how many CUPS of uncooked macaroni? Do we cook the whole box, then pull out a half pound? Why can’t you put the number of cups rather than pounds? I have dyslexia and using such a mixture of measurements is difficult, even with a conversion chart.
half of a 16 oz box
If I make this ahead of time would it still be good if I reheat in oven? Or just make it then serve right away?
I think it’s best served right away – but you can definitely reheat – i would be sure to cover it on reheat with foil so it doesn’t dry out
1 lb of macaroni is 4 cups so half a pound would be 2 cups for this recipe.
Hi, sorry if I’m asking a silly question but do I use a box/package of noodles? What size ?
most macaroni comes in a 1 lb box – so this recipe is for 1/2 box
Did this recipe curdle? In a couple of your pictures it looks like it might have. I used to be able to make the best baked mac n cheese but now mine always curdles. Thank you.
Nope…it definitely wasn’t a “creamy” mac & cheese (i have a recipe for that for the stovetop) but it was tasty!
Can I make a day ahead… refrigerate and then bake the next day?
Yes definitely. The only thing to be aware of is that the noodles may absorb some of the liquid overnight and not be as firm.
Made this once already….yummy! Making tonight again….doubled both times….my new “go too” recipe!
Nice!!!!
If I double the recipe and cook the whole 16 oz box of macaroni, would a 9 X 13 pan work..?
Yes!
taste was good, but did not have as much sauce as the picture shows. Was a little dry. I used 8oz of cooked noodles.
Favorite Mac and cheese recipe. More flavor than most Mac and cheese. Recipe is easy to follow and tastes great!
Thanks so much – glad you loved it!
It’s a big ol five for us!!! My husband is from Atlanta, and when we discovered Mary Mac’s in ATL our lives were forever changed. We live in CO, so being able to have that AMAZING Mac at home is a game changer! This recipe is so spot on, thank you so much!!
Glad you love it!!!
This looks delicious! Do you cook covered or uncovered?
Uncovered!
Soooo good! Excellent recipe – no modifications needed. The evaporated milk is key, just like you mentioned. This will be my ‘go to’ Mac ‘n Cheese recipe!
I have been looking for my mother’s macaroni and cheese recipe. I hope this is it! I remember her using canned condensed milk. Do the edges get crunchy? My favorite part of my moms recipe!
yup! hope you like it!
This is my new go to mac and cheese recipe. We love Mary Mac’s Tea Room so this, I had to try!
I did double the recipe because I served it on Christmas. For this reason, I substituted one cup of shredded Velveeta cheese to help add some creaminess. Most recipes I have tried haven’t had the creamy consistency I wanted. Added the Velveeta was perfect. I also used sharp cheddar cheese. I love. love, love this recipe.
So glad you loved it!!!!
i am confused. what does “cheese mixture ” include?
just the cheese
Hi I can’t wait to make this tonight. I see something green sprinkled on top but I do not see it on the recipe. Is that parsley, oregano flakes, dill or what? Thank you!
Just parsley!
Do I double the eggs for a pound? Six eggs seems like a lot.
sorry for delay – but if you’re doubling recipe – then double everything