My Soul Food mac and cheese is made the old school way: with a roux cheese sauce, lots of flavor, and oven-baked for that gooey golden-brown top without the need for breadcrumbs. Let me warn you that this recipe will get you put on macaroni & cheese duty for the next family gathering...and the next one and the next one! It's that good.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my baked mac & cheese bites, too!
Jump to:
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Black People Mac and Cheese vs. White People
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Soul Food-Style Mac and Cheese from Scratch
- Pro Tip #1
- Pro Tip #2
- Pro Tip #3
- Watch Me Make it in this YouTube Video
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Serve
- More Favorite Cheesy Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Ingredients - Just a few pantry staples, plus butter and cheese. The beauty of this recipe is that it is in the tradition of my African American ancestors, taking a few basic real food items (no Velveeta and no eggs--no shade) and elevating them into a showstopper dish.
Roux vs. Custard - We make an easy white roux bechamel to thicken and bind the dish so it will hold up well to reheating, because everybody knows that Black southern mac and cheese is even better the next day! This is in contrast to custard-based recipes that are thickened with eggs.
Layered Flavor - For this simple Soul Food mac and cheese recipe, we add flavor in every step so you'll taste the love in every bite! The result is rich, savory, satisfying taste that everybody will want seconds of.
As a good southern girl (Houston, Texas is the south, despite what you might have heard), I throw down on the Soul Food sides, like seafood cornbread dressing, okra and tomatoes, green beans with potatoes, and our family potato salad recipe. Check 'em out next!
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"Incredible! Seconds are mandatory! I've tried a lot of mac and cheese recipes over the years looking for "the one," and this is it."
-Sophia
Black People Mac and Cheese vs. White People
While there's no one official Black folks' mac and cheese recipe, or a rule book outlining differences by color, what we most often mean when we think about authentic mac and cheese stems from the dish's African American inventor, James Hemings.
The pasta is cooked, mixed with cheese sauce, and then baked altogether in the oven until the top layer is caramelized. The result is thick enough to be cut and scooped in pieces, and has become an American classic, across history and racial lines. This is in contrast to what is more commonly thought of as white mac and cheese: a stovetop dish with a looser texture that is often served with bread crumbs.
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What You'll Need for this Recipe
Chicken Broth to add maximum flavor to the pasta as it cooks.
Evaporated Milk is richer and just slightly sweeter than plain whole milk, but won't get as stodgy in the cheese sauce as heavy cream or half and half. You'll really notice the difference when you use it.
Shells and Elbows macaroni pasta. I like to use a mixture of shapes and sizes because they each hold the sauce in different ways.
Three Cheeses--mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, and Gouda--for a more complex and robust taste with a touch of smokiness. Make sure to buy blocks of cheese rather than bagged shredded cheese from the store for the best texture.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Double the Recipe - This recipe was developed for a crowd, and serves about 15 people. And you can double it easily to make a giant pan for your extended holiday gatherings and family cookouts. You can break out that classic jumbo foil pan or just do two regular pans.
Pasta Shapes - Feel free to mix things up with different types of pasta. I like cavatappi and corkscrew pasta for holding lots of the luscious cheese sauce, which you might have seen in my bacon mac and cheese recipe.
Velveeta - Many Black matriarchs make their mac and cheese using Velveeta and while that's not my preference, you can use it in the sauce, if you want. But I still recommend layering in real shredded cheese inside and over top before baking because Velveeta will not melt the right way to give us that classic taste and texture.
Vegan - Use plant-based cheese and butter alternatives and dairy-free milk, along with vegetable broth to make this recipe vegan friendly.
How to Make Soul Food-Style Mac and Cheese from Scratch
- Step One: Boil the pasta in the water and chicken broth then drain, reserving some of the boiling liquid for later. (Photos 1 and 2)
- Step Two: Shred the cheese. (Photo 3)
Pro Tip #1
You can make shredding cheese quick and easy by using the shred disc attachment on your food processor. You'll never want to go back to using a box grater!
- Step Three: Melt the butter then stir in the flour. Slowly stir in the milk, then add the mustard and spices. (Photos 4 and 5)
- Step Four: Add in the cheese in batches, stirring until it becomes a smooth sauce. (Photo 6)
- Step Five: Toss the cooked pasta in the cheese sauce until coated. (Photo7)
Pro Tip #2
The roux-based cheese sauce should be thick, but not stodgy. For a visual, scoop some of the sauce up with your kitchen spoon, then let it fall back into the pan. It should fall back in a smooth continuous ribbon. If it doesn't, mix in a spoon of the reserved pasta liquid.
- Step Six: Add the pasta and remaining shredded cheese to the baking dish in alternating layers. (Photos 8-11)
Pro Tip #3
Layering the cheese and pasta is key to getting gooey-ness throughout the dish. If you just lay all the cheese on top, you'll get a thick top layer of cheese over a slightly dry pasta casserole. Not cute!
- Step Seven: Bake the mac and cheese until the top is golden brown with liquid bubbling around the edges. (Photo 12)
Watch Me Make it in this YouTube Video
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can assemble the mac and cheese up to three days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, then bake the dish on the day of. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour to 1 ½ hour before putting it in the oven.
Store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to five days.
To freeze, either wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap followed by a sheet of aluminum foil, or wrap individual portions in plastic wrap or aluminum foil then place in an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Either way, it will keep for up to three months.
How to Serve
Temperature: Serve southern baked mac and cheese while it's warm and gooey.
Occasions and Pairings: It's the perfect side dish for your Sunday dinner menu with southern baked chicken or crispy catfish, braised collard greens, and cast iron cornbread.
And this old fashioned baked mac and cheese is THE mac and cheese to have on the holiday table.
Whether you're pulling up to the Juneteenth cookout with it, making it for Easter dinner, or adding it to your Soul Food Thanksgiving spread with buttermilk-brined turkey, crockpot candied yams, bourbon cranberry sauce, and soulful sweet potato pie.
More Favorite Cheesy Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this Soul Food homemade mac and cheese recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese with Roux
Equipment
- 1 deep pot or Dutch oven
- 1 Food Processor or cheese grate
- 1 large skillet or saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 18 ounces uncooked pasta elbows, shells, or a combination
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Gouda cheese
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a deep pot or saucepan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil then add pasta and cook just shy of al dente (about 6-7 minutes) then drain. Save about ½ cup of pasta liquid to use later.18 ounces uncooked pasta, 4 cups chicken broth, 4 cups water
- Prepare the Cheese: Meanwhile, use a hand grater or food processor to shred the cheese. Mix all three cheeses together evenly and set aside.2 cups mild cheddar cheese, 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup Gouda cheese
- Make the Roux Cheese Sauce: Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour to start a roux then slowly whisk in the milk so that the mixture doesn't become lumpy. Reduce heat to medium then stir in the mustard, sea salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Once this mixture is thickened and starts to bubble, stir in two cups of the cheese, incorporating about one cup at a time.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 ½ cups evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons mustard, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir until the cheese sauce is smooth and uniform and all cheese is melted. It should be very thick but not stiff. If it is stiff, add some of the reserved pasta liquid, one spoonful at a time, to thin out the sauce a little.
- Assemble the Mac & Cheese: Toss the drained pasta with the cheese sauce until it's evenly coated then spread half the mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle half the remaining shredded cheese over top then add the rest of the pasta mixture, followed by the rest of the cheese.
- Bake and Serve: Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until the mac and cheese is bubbly and the top is golden brown. Let it set for about 10 minutes before serving.
Sophia Efthymiades says
Incredible! Seconds are mandatory! I’ve tried a lot of mac and cheese recipes over the years looking for “the one," and this is it. You can taste the intention and the heritage in this dish...it's not just cheese for the sake of cheese. As a Greek, we don’t really have traditional mac and cheese (my mom made baked macaroni with eggs and less cheese, very much "mac-and-cheese-adjacent") so I deeply respect learning a dish that’s rooted in African American tradition. I used sharp cheddar, colby, and monterey jack, since that's what I had on hand, but I will definitely include Gouda next time. I shared this recipe on both my business page and personal social media page--it was THAT good. I'm looking forward to trying other recipes you've shared here on Dash of Jazz!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Sophia, thank you so much for your feedback. I'm elated to hear how much you enjoyed this mac and cheese recipe!
Liz says
I have hosted Thanksgiving for the last 3 years and this was my first year making mac and cheese. The pressure of providing the mac and cheese in a black family is REAL, y’all. I made a double serving, prepped the pans on Wednesday, and finished them off in the oven on Thursday at noon. I have MAYBE a corner left for myself lol. We hosted roughly 20 people in our house. It was a HIT. ♥️
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Liz, and I'm glad y'all enjoyed the mac and cheese. Prepping them ahead of time is such a smart idea!
Tina says
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a crowd pleaser. I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders but luckily this mac and cheese recipe was pretty simple and tasted great. Thank you!!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your feedback, Tina! I'm so glad your crowd enjoyed the mac and cheese.
Callie says
Jazz, I had to let you know that this is gonna be our holiday mac & cheese for sure! I seriously had to hide some from the rest of my family because they demolished it after I made it for Sunday dinner. Thank you for all the tips and tricks.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for letting me know, Callie! I hope y'all enjoyed it just as much on Thanksgiving.