Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Before it became the decadent stuff of creamy, cheesy dreams, many a mac and cheese recipe was simple like this one from the Yankee recipe archives. Cooked macaroni is layered with shredded cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs (plus a generous splash of milk) for a home-style version of the classic comfort food. Try it for yourself and see how it measures up to your modern mac favorite.

The recipe was first published in February, 2000, but since it appeared in a column about food and memory (an earlier version of Recipe with a History), it’s actually much older. It was submitted by reader Marlene Keene of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, whose son Eugene loved his Maine grandmother’s baked macaroni and cheese. She remembered it as “a delightful dish, with bubbly cheese melted through the elbow pasta and a crunch topping.” Eugene loved the dish so much that Marlene got the recipe (and the special dish it was baked in) from Gram Meggett herself so she could make it at home. Then, years later, she shared it with us, and we shared it with you!

After skimming the method, I was intrigued. This was a mac and cheese recipe unlike any other I’d ever made. It called for the normal ingredients (noodles, cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, butter, salt, and pepper) but was constructed very differently than today’s ultra-creamy baked versions. The biggest difference was that it didn’t start with a roux, which is a thick sauce made on the stove with butter, flour, and milk. Instead, it called for the cooked macaroni to be layered in the dish, lasagna-style, with the grated cheese (only cheddar) and breadcrumbs in alternate layers. Once that was done, the milk was poured over the whole thing, topped with breadcrumbs and butter, and baked. The result is a texture that’s more like boxed macaroni and cheese (meaning a lot thinner than most baked versions), but still made with “real” cheese and plenty of butter. It’s different, but still plenty tasty, and my household had no trouble speedily working their way through it.

The torn breadcrumbs (I needed a bit more than the recipe called for) are also a distinctly old-fashioned touch. Some people love the hearty crunch they provide, but if you like a crushed cracker or Panko-butter crumb topping, by all means, swap those out instead. Like most macaroni and cheese recipes, this one is pretty much foolproof so long as you like eating a mixture of noodles and cheese…and you do, right? Have you ever had a version of macaroni and cheese like this one? And fresh breadcrumbs? Velveeta? Hot dogs? Do you have a favorite mac and cheese ingredient?

GET THE RECIPE:

Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.