Mona Lou's Famous Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

This is a great main OR side dish that everyone loves! See below in the recipe notes for the amounts to fill a crock pot or roaster.

Author: Mona Lou via Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil or Avocado oil-- remember the olive oil you buy matters
3 1/2 cups Kroger elbow macaroni-- Mom said Grandma always insisted that it had to be Kroger brand…??? *These days I love Einkorn pasta and it always turns out just fine! (FYI: 1 pound macaroni = 4 cups uncooked, so I just make this recipe with 1 pound pasta and add a bit more of everything else, nothing has to be exact anyway.)
1 Tablespoon sea salt to go into the pasta water.
Cold butter for greasing your dish, Mom uses a can of no-stick spray, but a cold stick of butter is just as easy and without the chemicals…Oh and pastured butter is always best… (Update, now there is a good no-stick spray option!)
Sea salt & pepper to your taste.
16 ounces shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (I often use regular cheddar if that's what I have). FYI: 16 ounces cheese=4 cups shredded.
1-2 cups Milk, preferably whole milk or cream for extra yumminess.
Few slices of colby cheese for the top or more shredded cheese.
6 pats of butter for the top.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*.
Boil water in a large pot, add oil and salt. Add macaroni and stir well several times during the cooking time (timing based on package directions). Strain well in a colander, running hot water over the macaroni. (Later Mom said she would strain it but not all the way, to leave just a little of the starch water in with the macaroni, and not rinse it, so that's how I do it now and it always turns out!)
Use a cold stick of butter to grease a large 4 quart glass bowl or spray with baking spray. Sometimes I'll bake it in a big 10×14 stainless steel baking pan, because my favorite part is the browned cheese on top, and this way there is a lot more of the yummy cheese and browned bits in each serving.
Put the macaroni into your baking dish and add sea salt, pepper, and the cheese, stir well. Add milk just until you can barely see it coming up the sides of the macaroni. Put more cheese and butter on top.
Another way I do it is to put the macaroni back into the pan it cooked in, then add the salt, pepper, and cheese and about 1/2 cup cream or milk. Stir it in good and add more milk or cream for extra creaminess. This way you can get it just how you want it and THEN transfer to your baking dish. Add more cheese and butter on top.
Bake for about 1 1/4 hours, depending on how hot your oven is – it should be nicely browned on top.

Notes

Crock pot option!

This works great for a crowd and it stays nice and hot...

I've tweaked Mom's recipe, and here are my amounts and directions for filling a 7 quart crock pot about 2/3 full, which was enough for about 24 people (we had lots of other food too) and many people also took home leftovers:

2# macaroni or pasta of choice (cooked in salty water)
2 sticks butter
2.5 cups whole milk, little at a time (part cream if you have it)
1/8 cup palm sugar (dissolved in the milk--you can omit but it's just a bit that I think kicks the taste up)
1# shredded sharp cheddar
1# shredded mild cheddar
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed then strain most of the water off, leaving just a little bit in there. In the same pot you cooked the pasta in, stir the cheese and milk/sugar into the pasta and 1 stick of butter. Add sea salt and pepper to taste, start with about 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste-test to see if it needs more, it probably will, but better to start with less and add as needed. Grease the crock pot with buttered hands or avocado spray, then spoon the pasta in. Add the other stick of butter in pieces around the top. Turn it on high so it can cook and get the yummy crispy browned pieces all over. Let cook at least 40 minutes or so until eating. If you're not eating it for a while, then turn it down to warm or low.

Roaster option!

For another large gathering I used these amounts to fill a big 22 quart roaster--it was as full as I could get it and still be able to stir. This fed about 30 people with a LOT leftover, but again, I sent leftovers home with most everyone.

7# macaroni or pasta of choice (cooked in salty water, note to self: 3# fit in my 2nd biggest pot and 4# fit in my very biggest pot)
6 sticks butter/1.5#
8 cups whole milk, add a little at a time, you may need a bit less or a bit more so it's creamy but not too liquidy.
1/4 cup palm sugar (dissolved in the milk--again, you can omit but it's just a bit that I think kicks the taste up)
2.5# shredded sharp cheddar + 2 cups more (some for the top)
2.5# cheddar jack + 3 cups more (some for the top)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Spray the roaster well with avocado spray. Turn to 200-225*.

Cook pasta as directed then strain most of the water off, leaving just a little bit in there. Put all of the pasta into the roaster with the cheese, milk/sugar, and 4 sticks of butter. Stir well. Add sea salt and pepper to taste, it'll need a lot. Taste-test to get it right, better to start with less and add as needed. Add the rest of the butter in pieces around the top. Let cook at least 45 minutes or so until eating.