President Reagan's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: Sarah Jampel

March23,2021

4.3

9 Ratings

  • Serves 6 to 8

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Reagan's choice macaroni and cheese is more sliceable than spoonable. It's defining feature is its inches-thick cheese comforter, where the noodles are suspended in (rather than swimming in) a layer of crisped cheddar. There are some softer, freer noodles below, too, with a barely-there sauce; these serve as relief from the crunch and chew. But if you're looking for lusciously creamy, look elsewhere. I'm not ashamed that President Reagan's mac and cheese is also my own. —Sarah Jampel

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 1/2 pounddried macaroni
  • 1 teaspoonbutter
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoondried mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoonsalt
  • 1 cupmilk
  • 3 cupssharp grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 350° F. Boil macaroni in water until tender and drain thoroughly. Stir in butter and egg. Mix mustard and salt with 1 tablespoon hot water and add to milk. Add cheese, reserving enough to sprinkle on top.
  2. Pour macaroni into buttered 8-inch-square casserole dish, add milk mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese (and a little extra!!).
  3. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until custard is set and top is crusty.

Tags:

  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Pasta
  • American
  • Mustard
  • Milk/Cream
  • Cheese
  • Make Ahead
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Weeknight Cooking
  • Vegetarian
  • Entree

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Valerie Cruz

  • James G Nagler

  • Catherine

  • Winness

  • Janice Grzywacz

Popular on Food52

24 Reviews

angelitakarmalita May 8, 2023

I’m from the South and remember our m&c always being the custard based dish, not the roux type.. i have tried many recipes and the best I thought was Patti LaBelle’s recipe, but it’s got so many steps and ingredients… well, not anymore! this is the one i’ve been looking for! I believe in finding the “perfect” recipe for a dish and sticking with it and this recipe is it! it’s so simple and it’s “perfect”

Valerie C. March 23, 2021

This has been our “family recipe” for years and it’s so delicious... I stopped by for a little refresher and wanted to add that I sometimes add cut stewed tomato’s to this recipe and it is delicious!! Gives it a slightly different texture but so much flavor! Thanks for the recipe refresher!

Alidogo January 31, 2021

Hi...by far the BEST mac&cheese. I didn’t grow up with m&c so I don’t have memories of Mom making it. However, I know what I DON’T like . Soupy goopy M&C 😝. That’s what makes this perfect. Has anyone tried a tsp of leaf Thyme in the mix?? This is how Thomas Jefferson ate it. Yes, the very same TJ. He is actually credited with “inventing “ M&C based on a dish he tried and loved in France. It was his favorite fo to comfort food. So along with the paper clip and swivel chair we can love him for this yummy dish too!!

James G. April 12, 2020

Outstanding, period.

Martha August 31, 2018

Has anyone tried this with condensed canned milk? Sounds good, I hate to mess with perfection...

angelitakarmalita February 19, 2024

Martha, I think (hope) that you mean “evaporated” milk, in which case, it would be fine, Condensed milk on the other hand will not work.

Martha August 31, 2018

Hi Sarah, This is how my mom always made macaroni and cheese, and it is delicious. Mom originally got the recipe from a cookbook that had contributed recipes from well-known people, included the lovely Nancy Reagan. She contributed this recipe, along with a couple of others. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the cookbook (even though I still have it, somewhere!), but I think it contained the word Centennial or Bi-Centennial. I much prefer the macaroni and cheese cooked with stringy cheese, rather than a cheese sauce. This is so good, and just like mom's recipe (via Nancy Reagan)!

piggledy June 27, 2017

This is my long time favorite, too, same ingredients, different technique. I cook the Mac, then layer it with the cheese, reserving some of the cheese to top after I mix and pour over the milk, eggs, etc. If you love the chewy cheese crust, you an bake the Mac and cheese in a shallower dish. My mother made her Mac and cheese this way, and I've never found one I like better. Whole wheat Mac is good, too!

Joanne S. February 28, 2017

This is the recipe I've been waiting for. No roux to make. And, exactly the way my mother used to make it!!!! I love my mac & cheese crunchy. I can't tell you how happy i am. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RG February 5, 2017

Is the cheese added to the macaroni/butter/egg mixture, or the milk/mustard/salt/water mixture?

Sarah J. February 5, 2017

It gets added to the milk mixture. Then that's poured over top of the pasta-butter-egg mix. Hope that helps!

Catherine February 5, 2017

This recipe was in my newspaper in the 1980's! Vintage recipe that is so good!

rlsalvati December 2, 2016

I've made this twice now and it is hands down the closest I've come at home to my guilty favorite freezer mac & cheese. My husband loves it as well. I used packaged finely shredded extra sharp cheddar. I left out the hot water step, put the noodles in the casserole with the butter, sprinkled on the mustard & salt, mixed, added the cheddar, mixed, then poured the egg-milk mixture over the top. This will be a great winter dinner in our house.

Scott N. October 22, 2016

Been making this recipe from a newspaper clipping for 27 years. Thanks for posting.

Winness October 19, 2016

Is there any reason why the egg couldn't be incorporated with the milk, mustard, cheese, salt, and water and then poured over the pasta? It would seem to me (haven't made this recipe yet) that the egg would cook before the custard mix is added. If the buttered pasta is put into the baking pan, and then the custard is poured over, it should result in a smoother, creamier dish. I'll try it and let you know. What I love is the simplicity of this dish. By the way, I'll use a four cheese Mexican blend since I love the flavors.

m October 21, 2018

This is my childhood mac-n-cheese and my family has always mixed the egg with milk, mustard, etc. Then you just pour over the top.

Janice G. October 18, 2016

Can I use almond milk?

angela November 22, 2016

no

TikiLust July 4, 2019

Yes! It’s better with almond milk!

angelitakarmalita February 19, 2024

absolutely

Nancy A. February 19, 2024

That’s funny

jonathan E. October 17, 2016

There is no milk in the ingredient list

Sarah J. October 17, 2016

Fixed that—thanks!

President Reagan's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese  Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

President Reagan's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese Recipe on Food52? ›

Bottom line, Jefferson loved his macaroni and when he became president, he pushed a pro-macaroni agenda on official Washington. This did not always go over well. One guest wrote of a presidential dinner: “Dinner not as elegant as when we dined before.

Which president liked mac and cheese? ›

Bottom line, Jefferson loved his macaroni and when he became president, he pushed a pro-macaroni agenda on official Washington. This did not always go over well. One guest wrote of a presidential dinner: “Dinner not as elegant as when we dined before.

What's the most popular type of cheese used in macaroni and cheese packages? ›

But there is one go-to that you'll almost always see. An overview of Food Network's mac and cheese roundup reveals that most recipes have one type of cheese in common: sharp Cheddar.

Which president bought mac and cheese back to the USA and where did he bring it from? ›

James Hemings, a classically trained French chef enslaved by US president Thomas Jefferson, was instrumental in bringing the recipe to the United States after Jefferson encountered it in Paris. Jefferson drew a sketch of the pasta and wrote detailed notes on the extrusion process.

Did Thomas Jefferson like mac and cheese? ›

James Hemings spent 5 years with Thomas Jefferson in Paris learning French cuisine while Jefferson acted as United States minister to France from 1784 to 1789. James and Thomas didn't invent macaroni and cheese. They tasted noodles with cheese in France and Italy, loved it and brought it back to America.

Which former president loved mac and cheese so much that he bought a pasta maker from Europe? ›

Thomas Jefferson's Notes on Macaroni and a Macaroni Press

His belongings were shipped to Philadelphia in 1790, and the machine was probably included with those items.

What president served mac and cheese in 1802 to a state dinner? ›

Manasseh Cutler was served macaroni and cheese at a state dinner hosted by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. He did not like it and said so publicly. Cutler w.

What kind of milk is best for mac and cheese? ›

Milk: Keeps our cheese sauce super creamy. I use whole milk or reduced-fat milk. Mustard and spices: A combination of Dijon mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt makes this macaroni and cheese extra delicious. Cheese: I use white cheddar and parmesan or pecorino cheese.

What cheeses are not to use for mac and cheese? ›

Feta has a high moisture level and doesn't melt properly, so it would clump rather than give you a smooth sauce. This also goes for cheeses like queso fresco and paneer.

How does Gordon Ramsay make the best mac and cheese? ›

Preparation
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the pasta and milk. ...
  2. Once the pasta is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. ...
  3. Divide between serving bowls and top with the bread crumbs.
  4. Enjoy!
  5. All your favorite recipes, stored in one place.
May 4, 2023

Which president ate a tomato? ›

According to one published report, Jefferson created quite a bit of consternation when he publicly ate a tomato in front of the present Miller-Claytor house in Lynchburg.

Who was the black man who invented mac and cheese? ›

Most telling, however, is the omission of his enslaved chef, James Hemings, who was the mastermind behind many of America's favorite dishes, including macaroni and cheese, but also ice cream, french fries, whipped cream and more.

What was Thomas Jefferson's favorite food? ›

Thomas Jefferson: Mac and cheese

Jefferson discovered macaroni during his European travels and is credited with popularizing the food in the US after he brought a machine for making the pasta back from Naples, Italy.

Did Elvis like mac and cheese? ›

Priscilla Presley told Graceland archivist Angie Marchese that Elvis was a big fan of Southern food, including meatloaf, mashed potato, fried chicken and mac and cheese. Marchese stated that Elvis would “obsessively eat one kind of food over and over until he became bored of it.”

What is Kraft called in Canada? ›

Kraft Dinner (KD) in Canada, Kraft Mac & Cheese in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Mac and Cheese in the United Kingdom and internationally, is a nonperishable, packaged macaroni and cheese product.

Who consumes the most mac and cheese? ›

When it comes to the consumption of boxed mac and cheese, or Kraft Dinner as it's better known, Canadians eat a whopping 55 per cent more of it a year than Americans do. Out of the 7 million boxes sold weekly around the world, Canadians purchase 1.7 million of them.

Who made mac and cheese popular in the US? ›

In America, we've been enjoying this staple thanks to Thomas Jefferson. After a trip to France, Jefferson just couldn't part with all of the amazing pasta dishes in which he indulged. So, he brought back recipes (a version of mac and cheese included) to America to continue eating his favorite dishes.

What was George Washington's favorite food? ›

Family members and visitors alike testified that hoecakes were among George Washington's favorite foods. He invariably ate them at breakfast, covered with butter and honey, along with hot tea—a “temperate repast” enjoyed each morning.

What nation eats the most mac and cheese? ›

Sure, Americans love their mac and cheese. But not as much as Canadians. In fact, Canadians love macaroni and cheese, and they love it more than anyone else in the world and consume the most macaroni and cheese per capita!

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