This is a delicious Macaroni & Cheese casserole that brings to mind church dinners and family get togethers. It features milk and eggs whisked together, then mixed with macaroni, cheese and a few complementary spices. Its simplicity belies the treasure underneath that cheesy crust. The eggs and milk cook into a custardy texture like a good quiche. Suffused in that lovely custard is sharp cheddar cheese and they combine to blanket the macaroni in pure deliciousness. The tangy cheddar cheese shines through and paralyzes any attempts at self or portion control. My mouth just wants more of this yellow, cheesy good stuff every time! The downside of this version is that you can get haphazard about mixing the eggs with the milk, or neglect to blend the cheese thoroughly and evenly.
I like the addition of small chunks of cheddar cheese just before baking. Just poke them in at various depths, so they are like bonus finds as you spoon out each serving.
There are a few things to keep in mind with this recipe.
I have increased the amount of milk overall for the casserole because of my personal preference for creamy leftovers. The freshly baked initial servings will be looser but shouldn’t be runny. Macaroni continues to absorb moisture after baking, which is why even rewarmed servings often seem a little stiff. The extra milk up front will be absorbed as the casserole cools so later servings heat up creamy and appealing. If you don’t want a looser initial serving just cut back on the milk by 1/4 cup.
Because you are looking to help the custard aspect of this casserole to develop, don’t rush the baking step. You want the eggs and milk to cook to doneness without over cooking. How can you tell? If your Macaroni & Cheese looks curdled, you probably overcooked it or cooked it too fast. It will still taste absolutely wonderful, but the chef in you will see room for improvement.
Harriett’s Basic Macaroni & Cheese with Egg
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
Macaroni and Cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 2 - 3 quart or 9" by 13" ovenproof casserole dish with canola oil or grease the dish with butter.
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In a large pot bring heavily salted water to a rolling boil. How salty? As Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat describes, "until it's as salty as the sea." Pretty salty. This will infuse the macaroni with a good level of saltiness that will be put to good use when tossed with milk, eggs and cheese. Add the macaroni to this boiling water and cook until barely al dente, or just until the macaroni is firm but you can press it in with your finger when you sample one. This will take about 5 - 6 minutes.
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Pour the macaroni into a colander and drain well. When drained, pour 1/4 of the macaroni into the bottom of the casserole dish and distribute a several squares of cheese on top.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milks together until well combined and uniform consistency. Make sure you don't have globs of egg white hanging out in this mixture! Whisk it well.
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Toss the nutmeg, smoked paprika and onion powder into the shredded cheese.
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Stir the cheese mixture into the milk, then stir in the remaining macaroni.
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Spoon the macaroni and milk mixture evenly into the casserole dish, on top of the macaroni and the cheese squares already there. Add the remaining cheese squares at random spots of the casserole, pressing them into the mixture so they are all below the surface.
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Place in 350° F oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and top just begins to brown. Remove from oven and add crumb topping.
Bread Crumb Topping
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While the casserole is baking:
In a medium saucepan, melt 2T butter. Once the butter begins to foam, stir in bread crumbs. -
Remove pan from heat and toss bread crumbs into a medium bowl. Let cool before stirring in parsley and Parmesan cheese.
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Distribute evenly on top of hot Macaroni & Cheese casserole and return to oven.
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Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F or to Broil.
Return casserole to hot oven for 5 minutes or until crumb topping is a toasty brown. Watch it carefully to prevent burning. -
Remove casserole from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. (I always like to think of this time as the chance for all the ingredients to "collect" themselves and calm down from all the heat transformation that they've just gone through!) Enjoy!
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