Best Baked Mac & Cheese is a Carolina Eats Pasta Creations Recipe Sweepstakes finalist

Mac & Cheese is a classic pasta dish and one of America’s favorite comfort foods.
From Skillet Mac & Cheese to Mac & Cheese Melts, there are a lot of variations on an old favorite these days, but for Dana Whitmire of Forest City, NC, her tried-and-true Best Baked Mac & Cheese recipe is well, the best.
A finalist in the Carolina Eats Pasta Creations Recipe Sweepstakes presented by Ingles, Whitmire received a $250 Ingles gift card and is entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, an LG Range from Bob Burnett’s Appliance & Bedding Center in Spartanburg.
“This recipe is so easy and it’s an absolute must at every dinner table in my family for generations back,” Whitmire said. “This is the way my grandmother made it, the way I make it and the way my children make it.”
Best Baked Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. box of macaroni
- 8 oz. block medium cheddar cheese
- 1-1/2 to 2 cups milk
- Salt & pepper
- Non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees
- Boil macaroni 9-11 minutes and drain
- Slice cheese evenly (1/8″-1/4″)
- Spray 1-1/2 to 2 quart baking dish, covering bottom and insides
- Layer half of the macaroni in baking dish; spread evenly
- Cover with half of the sliced cheese; sprinkle with salt & pepper
- Pour milk over top until you see milk rise just below cheese layer. Repeat with remaining half of ingredients
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until is fully cooked and cheese is slightly charred on top
- Remove from oven and let cool approximately 5 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!
Serves 4-6; Great for leftovers, too – just heat in microwave-safe dish (cover with paper towel) in 45 second increments, stirring after each until fully heated.