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This Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese is THE best any night of the week, any occasion, mac and cheese. The secret to this simple, easy, and delicious cheesy mac is a couple of eggs, lots of cheese, and a touch of spice. Every bite is layered with southern flavor, creamy pasta, and cheese. It’s the creamiest bowl of baked mac and cheese that’s fancy enough for the weekend, but easy enough to make any night of the week. And most importantly, it’s so delicious…especially with an extra sprinkle of basil on top.
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I’m not sure there’s much that tops homemade mac and cheese. I mean, it’s just so easy and delicious. It’s definitely a staple dish around here. I’ve been talking for weeks about how inspired I am by vintage recipes. And while this recipe isn’t technically “vintage”. It feels like something my mom or grandma could 100% get behind.
The other thing about this mac and cheese? It reminds me of the Stouffer’s mac and cheese I used to eat all the time when I was a kid. I was an oddball child that didn’t love junk food, passed on potato chips, and stuck to only Reese’s peanut butter cups and Malley’s chocolate bars. I ate carrots with ranch as a snack and all-in-all was a somewhat “healthy” eater who loved my vegetables.
But I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my mac and cheese. I didn’t grow up on the Kraft Mac and Cheese, instead, my mom bought Stouffer’s frozen mac and cheese that you could pop in the microwave. I ate a lot of those after school throughout my third, fourth, and fifth grade years. What I loved about them was that the top was always a bit more baked with crusty edges, but they had the creamiest cheesy pasta underneath. This mac and cheese is exactly that…but better…because it’s homemade with more flavor and more types of cheese.
This southern mac and cheese is easy, here are the details
When it comes to a southern-style mac and cheese, there are a couple of things that are different.
First up, it uses eggs to help bind everything together, which makes it even simpler.
I also like to add a touch a cajun seasoning to mine, which adds a nice little southern kick. This is optional, but we find it extra delicious.
And lastly, the process. It’s much simpler than you might ever imagine. Boil-off the pasta, while that’s happening, whisk together the milk, eggs, the tiniest amount of sour cream or cream cheese, and that cajun seasoning. Now add the pasta and the butter and toss it all to combine.
Bake then broil.
This is key. Bake the mac and cheese for thirty or so minutes to melt that cheese, then switch the oven to broil. Let the cheese start to bubble up, but be sure to watch closely, the broiler cooks quickly.
As soon as you pull this out from under the broiler, add a bit of basil, serve, and ENJOY.
Super easy, right?
But yet so very good. The pasta underneath stays soft and creamy, while the cheese on top turns crispy and just the slightest bit crunchy. Yes, the corners of the dish will form an insanely delicious, cheesy crust.
Creamy cheesy macaroni underneath, crunchy cheddar on top, a little bit of spice, and fresh basil over it all…
Just. So. Darn. Good!
And guys, that’s pretty much it. Dinner in less than an hour, and something I feel like the whole family can really enjoy. Make this over the weekend for the Kentucky Derby, then make it for every other party that follows.
Looking for other easy pasta bake recipes? Here are a few ideas:
One Pot 30 Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
One Pan Baked Cheesy Basil Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 2-3 teaspoons cajun seasoning, (optional)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- fresh basil or parsley, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, sour cream, cajun seasoning, or 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the pasta, butter, cheddar cheese, and 2 cups Colby Jack cheese. Pour the pasta into a 9×13 inch baking dish and cover with foil.4. Bake 25 minutes, then remove the foil and top with the remaining Colby Jack cheese. Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Switch the oven to broil and broil 2-3 minutes, until just a little crispy on top. WATCH CLOSELY. 5. Serve the mac and cheese immediately with fresh herbs and black pepper. ENJOY ?
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
If I want to freeze this, should I bake it before freezing? Couldn’t tell from previous comments if it should be baked first and just prepped and then frozen.
Hey Sylvia,
You can bake it first and then freeze it. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Do I put the pasta in hot? I think my mixture curdled or do I not have to worry about that?
Hi Hannah,
You shouldn’t have to worry about that:) You can add the pasta hot, that is just fine. I hope you love this recipe!
So yummy! First time making this Mac & Cheese recipe. I have made many other versions but this one is a definite keeper. Creamy, easy and delicious!
Hey Amy,
Wonderful! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it!
This has become my go to recipe, highly recommended by my kids!
Thanks so much, Brittany! Love to hear this:) Have a great week!
This was my first time cooking macaroni and cheese. I followed the recipe to a tee but something didn’t go right. It looks like the sauce split or curdled or something. There are clumps of it throughout and it’s not a nice and smooth texture. I am not sure what I did wrong and would love some advice on how to not do this next time! I used a 13×9 oval casserole dish (it was the only thing big enough that I had).
Hi Karissa,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sorry to hear you had some issues. First and foremost, were all of your ingredients at room temp? That is always helpful especially when working with dairy ingredients. I hope this helps!!
Should the ingredients be room temperature?
Hey Karie,
Yes, I always like to make sure my dairy ingredients are room temperature when cooking or baking. I hope this helps! xx
Love, love, loved it! It’s so yummy and not as rich as some other mac n’ cheese recipes. The guilt of a bechamel with cheese then baked is heavy. This was really nice and had great flavor. It came out perfectly made and baked as the recipe stated, with no changes. 5 Stars.Thank you for a flavorful, rich but not too rich Mac n’ cheese. The leftovers were fantastic. Back to the Birthday dinner for our son and party requests… “leftovers please!”
Hey Kym,
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! XxT
I would like to make this the day before Thanksgiving and make day of – can I preparr through step 3, cover and refrigerate over night?
Hey Corrianne,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Does this freeze well??
Hey Jennifer,
You bet, this will work nicely for you to freeze! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
If I freeze it what should I put the oven on to recook it? Thank you!
I would do 400F
Thank you! Would I cover it with tinfoil again or uncovered? How long would you cook it for from frozen?
Thank you it’s so yummy! 🙂
I would cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 so the cheese can get golden.
Does the butter need to be divided or cut up at all, or do you simply add the 2tbsp. of butter to the pasta and cheese?
Hi Sally,
You can leave the butter as is, the pasta should melt it:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
I made this mac & cheese to accompany a brisket, and it was a crowd pleaser. Everybody asked for the recipe. I live in Canada and we do not have Colby jack cheese, so I just used white extra old cheddar. It was delicious!
Hey Lise,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love that it was enjoyed! xT
I made this recipe last night for thanksgiving and it was delicious!! I’m sharing the recipe with my mom so she can make it too. My only complaint is that the sauce split once I combined it with the macaroni. When I was about to combine the two I did stop and wonder if I should wait until the pasta was cooler to mix but I double checked the recipe and it didn’t mention anything so I went ahead and mixed them well but I saw that it was splitting so I hurried to put it in the oven. When I checked the Mac and cheese at the 25 min mark the sauce was still splitting so I mixed it, added the rest of the cheese and put it back in the oven. At the end I mixed it all again and the splitting was barely noticeable. The important thing is that it was one of the best mac and cheese’s I’ve ever tasted and my husband agreed! I’ll definitely use this recipe again but I’ll let the macaroni cool before mixing it with the sauce. Thanks Tieghan!!
Hi Tania,
Awesome!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it turned out well for you in the end! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hi! I’m planning on preparing this dish for Thanksgiving and wanted to know if you recommend waiting for the pasta to get to room temperature before combining it with the other ingredients to avoid curdling? I’ll be preparing it the day before and baking it the day after.
Also, do you have a recommendation for how to prepare bread crumbs for this Mac & Cheese recipe specifically?
Thanks!
Hi Ash,
You shouldn’t need to do that, you can follow the recipe as written:) I might just toast some panko on the stove top in butter. I hope this helps! xx
Can you make this ahead?
Hey! You could definitely assemble it before and then bake whenever you’re ready! xT
I halfed the recipe,but it’s not creamy. The cheese looks curdled. Any advice
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you are having some issues. What size baking dish did you use? Were your ingredients room temp? Let me know how I can help! xT
I think you need to make the cream sauce with the milk and sour cream in a pot adding some flour/water mixture to thicken before adding cheese.