Southern Baked Mac And Cheese

About

This isn’t your regular mac and cheese! The American South puts its own twist on typical macaroni by turning it into a baked casserole-style of the dish. Keto shirataki elbow noodles are boiled until hot and poured into a dish filled with assorted cheeses and butter. The hot noodles melt all the cheese into a gooey mixture. Then, it’s filled with a casserole-style filling and baked until golden brown. This is a great dish to serve as a side to a meal or as part of your main course. You can easily slice the mac and cheese into squares for easy serving and for meal prepping. Keep the finished dish stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this extra-cheesy recipe!

Southern Macaroni Vs Mac And Cheese

You might be able to see American Southern-style mac and cheese isn’t like you’ve made from a box before. Both this style of mac and cheese and traditional mac and cheese use multiple types of cheeses. This balances out the sharpness of cheddar cheese. This recipe, however, includes a liquid batter made with cream, buttermilk, egg, and a variety of spices. Some may consider this over-doing it on a simple pasta dish, but don’t knock it until you try it!

Where Does Southern Mac And Cheese Come From?

You can imagine hundreds of years ago, the idea of a rich pasta filled with melted cheese was saved for special occasions and only to those who could afford it. As macaroni and cheese has evolved through the ages, the richness of the dish has intensified. A casserole-style macaroni loaded with cheese and “stretched out” with a rich dairy filling is iconic amongst African-American communities, especially in the South. You can imagine at holidays or special gatherings, serving a dish like this marked a happy occasion.

Ingredients

¼ cup, shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup, shredded colby jack cheese
¼ cup, shredded mozzarella cheese, whole milk
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
1 oz cream cheese
8 oz shirataki noodle
1 fl oz cream heavy whipping
2 ½ tablespoon buttermilk, unprepared dry powder
3 fl oz water
1 large raw egg, yolk
5 drops liquid stevia
1 dash salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg ground
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

For 4 servings, prepare a 7X5 glass baking dish by mixing shredded cheddar, colby, and mozzarella in the bottom of it. Do not use any oil and pan spray in the pan. Dice butter and cream cheese, and distribute the pieces over the shredded cheese. Meanwhile, fill a pot with water and place it on your stove to bring it to a boil.
Follow the directions on the shirataki noodle packaging to prepare the noodles. Drain the noodles, rinse them, and drain them again. Once your water is boiling on the stove, add the shirataki noodles and boil them for 2-3 minutes. Then, drain the boiling water from the noodles, and immediately pour the hot shirataki noodles into your baking dish. The hot noodles will melt all the cheese and butter in the dish.
While the steam from the noodles is melting the cheese, turn on your oven to preheat to 350 degrees. Return to your baking dish, and stir the noodles in the dish until they’re all coated in melted cheese. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream, dry buttermilk, water, egg, stevia, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, mustard powder, and paprika. Pour the filling into the baking dish until it fills around your macaroni and cheese. Let the filling settle into the dish.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake the dish in your oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and bake the dish for another 45 minutes. At your discretion, you can bake the dish longer or cook it under your broiler for a darker top. For doneness, there should be no liquid at the bottom of the pan, the edges of the pan are golden, and the cheese on top is bubbled and browned. Let the dish cool for a few minutes before cutting it into slices for serving.