As I put together the ultimate menu for Southern Comfort Food, I’d be a fool not to include a recipe for mac and cheese. Homemade mac and cheese is the comfort food of my dreams; it’s creamy, and cheesy with a nice golden crust on the top. If ever lucky enough to have it as leftovers, it tastes even better the next day…or admittedly later that night as a snack. I’d love to share my Southern-Style Mac and Cheese recipe with you, so here we go!

I wouldn’t dare to compare it to a beloved family recipe for mac and cheese. There’s a secret ingredient in those time-honored recipes known only to the maker. I’m making a southern-style mac and cheese that will pay homage to everything that makes this indulgent dish so memorable. Two things are most important here; al dente pasta and the star of the show, the cheese sauce.

The pasta should be just undercooked at the beginning; this will help the pasta maintain its bite once the dish is fully cooked. Nobody likes soggy pasta! I want a nice firmness that will stand up to the rich and luxurious cheese sauce.

A cheese sauce typically begins with creating a roux, a combination of butter, flour, and milk to transform the roux into a bechamel. Of course, you can have mac without the cheese. I’m using four different kinds of cheese: sharp cheddar, gruyere, white cheddar, and Parmesan cheese. Each one has a unique flavor that combines beautifully in the sauce.

I like to add garlic and onion powder as a savory balance to the creaminess of the cheese, and I think it’s a well-known secret that nutmeg enhances cheese flavor, so a pinch of the warm spice does wonders for the sauce. And not to be forgotten, sour cream, which adds a hint of tangy goodness.

A good mac and cheese will also have a cheesy topper and a generous scattering of sharp cheddar cheese will brown and crisp in the oven because toasty-crispy cheese is always good. If your family is like mine, we fight over the toasty crunchy edges of the baked mac and cheese even more than we do for the gooey and rich portions.

Homemade Southern-Style Mac and Cheese is everything we want in comfort food, simple ingredients that come together to make something extraordinary. It’s best enjoyed with Brined and Fried Chicken, Hot Pepper Cornbread and Honey Butter, Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens, and Grilled Peaches and Ice Cream.