1 lb. macaroni

  • boil according to package directions for al dente, minus one minute
  • drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking while making the sauce

2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
12 oz. cheddar, shredded
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

  • beat eggs in a large saucepan or dutch oven
  • heat milk in a small saucepan and pour into eggs in a thin stream while whisking
  • add cooked pasta and remaining ingredients and mix well
  • cook over medium heat until cheese has melted

6 oz. monterrey jack, shredded

  • add half of macaroni to a 9x13” baking dish
  • top with jack and the other half of the macaroni
  • cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes

2 oz. monterrey jack, shredded
4 oz. cheddar, shredded

  • remove macaroni from the oven, remove foil, and top with remaining cheese
  • broil 3-5 minutes, until cheese is browned in spots
  • remove from oven and rest 10-15 minutes

source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020515-southern-macaroni-and-cheese

09/20/2024: some commenters added traditional spices (like nutmeg and cayenne) and noted that they had problems with the macaroni curdling the eggs. but i’m going to make it as written, and think the curdling would only happen if you don’t rinse the pasta as directed.

09/24/2024: this was great, and the broiled cheese on top was particularly good. but cooling everything down by rinsing the pasta meant that the cheese mixed with the macaroni didn’t really melt. next time, i think i will mix the cold pasta with the eggs, milk, butter, and cheddar, and then heat it up until the cheese melts.

09/30/2024: on second thought, tempering the eggs is probably the right way to do this