This Civil War-Era Mac and Cheese Tastes Just as Good Today

Like so many people, my kids are obsessed with mac and cheese. My 13-year-old is particularly obsessed with classic baked macaroni and cheese, so when I saw this old-timey mac and cheese recipe that’s basically five ingredients and doesn’t require making a roux, I knew I had to try it.

Turns out that this Civil War-Era recipe makes a pretty perfect weeknight dinner of mac and cheese! It might take a little longer than the boxed stuff, but the results are a million times more comforting and creamy. Plus, it has a brilliant tip for cooking the macaroni that will change how you make any kind of creamy pasta for the better.

For Better Macaroni and Cheese, Cook Your Pasta in Milk

Very traditional macaroni and cheese calls for cooking your elbow pasta in a big pot of water until tender, draining the pasta, and then making a cheese sauce with butter-and-flour thickened milk (otherwise known as a bechamel sauce).

This mac and cheese recipe skips all that by bringing plain whole milk to a boil, adding the pasta, and cooking the two together until the pasta is tender and the milk has evaporated quite a bit. The genius of this is that the pasta releases a lot of starch into the milk, thickening it without making a roux.

As a fringe benefit, you also don’t need to dirty a colander to finish the pasta.

A Cheesy Dream With a Crispy Top

This macaroni and cheese recipe has you melt the butter and cheese together in a separate pot and then add this mixture to the pasta and milk. Finally, the whole pot gets some extra seasoning (pepper, a grating of nutmeg, and cayenne), is moved to a baking dish, and finished with some breadcrumbs.

I’ve tried this with seasoned Italian breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs and vastly prefer the hearty panko. I imagine homemade breadcrumbs would be incredible here, too! Finally, the whole thing gets baked before serving. This thickens the cheese sauce more and toasts the breadcrumb topping.

Beyond the ease of this recipe, this macaroni and cheese tastes like the kind that took all afternoon to make even though it only takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. Plus, I love that it makes enough to feed my family of four without a huge volume of leftovers (like bigger macaroni casseroles often do).

Now, if I can just teach one of my kids to make this mac and cheese all the time instead of the boxed kind!

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