page contents

Grandma Goodwin’s Mac and Cheese Recipe

by | Dec 20, 2013

Velveeta Box from the late 50's

The Best Mac and Cheese Recipe – Ever.

OK country-food fans. Here’s a special treat for you all. This is the recipe for my Grandmother’s macaroni and cheese recipe.  It’s a classic and reminds me of visiting Indiana when I was a kid.  As a freshman in college I would look forward to coming in from working the fields on the farm during the summer and having a beautifully golden yellow plate full of this glistening mac and cheese.  I could always pack away a ton of this stuff back then and still can now.  It is a gut bomb.  A sleeping pill.  And it’s beautiful.

This is a simple recipe that sticks to good old fashioned country ingredients.  Despite the liberal use of Velveeta – this has always been a crowd-pleaser.  Anything with Velveeta has to be good right?  You can make this in about an hour from start to finish and it’s sure to be the first thing tried and finished at any party, backyard BBQ or potluck.  The simple things in this are what makes the difference – whole milk and buttered, crushed Ritz crackers.

I’m not saying this is a good mac and cheese recipe for a diet or for anyone with high cholesterol.  Nor is it the fanciest mac and cheese recipe going – it’s not.  But how often do you really think you might make this monster?  I’ll post something more haute-cuisine later on made with real cheese.  For now, try this one once and you’ll be hooked!

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. dry weight – elbow macaroni
  • 2 tsp All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 cups whole or 2% milk
  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
  • 2 cups (1/2 ‘loaf’) of Velveeta ‘cheese’
  • 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Butter a 2 qt baking dish/cake pan (9 x 12)
  3. Cook elbow macaroni and drain
  4. In a saucepan, mix 2 tsp of flour with 1/2c of milk until smooth
  5. Gradually add 1 cup of milk, stirring until smooth
  6. Cut up 2 cups of velveeta in ½ inch cubes (this is ½ a ‘loaf’ of velveeta)
  7. Over low heat, add ‘cheese’ to milk/flour mixture until ‘cheese’ melts
  8. Combine with macaroni in the baking dish mixing well
  9. Cut 2 tbsp of butter in pieces and push down into macaroni mixture
  10. Melt 6 tbsp of butter and mix with 1c of Ritz cracker crumbs
  11. Sprinkle buttered cracker crumbs evenly over top of macaroni mixture
  12. Bake in oven for 30 mins until bubbly and lightly browned

This recipe should serve 8 easily

Serve the glorious mac and cheese while hot.  While this can be reheated it is best straight out of the oven in all of it’s cheesy greatness!

Bon appetit!

If you enjoyed this recipe then read more about food, farming and eating locally in Seattle by Jason Price at TheHungryDogBlog.com!