When I was a senior in high school, I went to a graduation party and had the best mac-n-cheese of all time, which it remains to this day. I begged my mom to get the recipe, which, bless her, she did.

Clearly this is not fancy and though I have pretty much eradicated processed food from my diet, sometimes you just have to make what tastes the best. Some may turn their nose up at this, but until you try it, you shouldn’t scoff. It is the cheesiest, creamiest, tastiest mac-n-cheese imaginable.

Also: this freezes beautifully, if it happens to last past the first night’s dinner. I often freeze it in individual ceramic dishes for ease in reheating and serving right out of the freezer.

  • Yield: 12 healthy servings
  • Total: 50 min
  • Active: 25

Ingredients (8)

  • 1 lb package large elbow elbow macaroni
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1 can Pet Milk Evaporated Milk
  • 1 large package of grated sharp cheddar cheese (or the equivalent)
  • 1 large Velveeta (2 lb block)
  • salt and pepper
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Tabasco

Instructions

  1. Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut the Velveeta into about 16 pieces. While the water is boiling and the macaroni is cooking, melt the butter a large oven safe pot over medium heat. (I use a 5 qt Le Cruset.) As the butter begins to melt, add the pet milk. Then add the Velveeta pieces.
  3. Stir the ingredients as they melt. Be careful not to burn the bottom! Keep stirring as needed, you might even want to turn the heat down just a touch. This is the only moderately tricky part. Just keep an eye on it, you will be fine.
  4. As the cheese sauce melts, add at least 5 healthy dashes each of Worcestershire Sauce and Tabasco. Add plenty of salt and black pepper. This is supposed to be spicy. Taste as you go. I frequently add more. You should see specks of black pepper in the cheese sauce and it should have a lovely ‘kick’ to it.
  5. When the past finishes cooking, drain it and add to the pot with the cheese sauce. (If the cheese sauce finishes melting before the pasta has cooked completely, just pull it off the heat. If it has not finished melting completely, don’t worry – it will finish as you add the pasta.)
  6. Stir the pasta and cheese sauce, adding the shredded sharp cheddar to the mix. (You can reserve a little of the grated cheddar for the top if desired.) Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve hot.