Macaroni and Cheese is a wonderful comfort food – and it seems more popular than even. Kids love it, and it’s also often on the menu at very fancy restaurants. So when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Macaroni with Cheese, I decided to give it a try. The process for making the Macaroni with Cheese was a little different from the modern way of making the dish. The old recipe called for putting layers of bread crumbs (small pieces of torn bread), macaroni, and cheese into a casserole dish. Thin cream (half and half) is then poured over the layers. The dish is then baked until the bread crumbs are lightly browned.
The Macaroni with Cheese turned out nicely, and was very tasty. The bread crumb layers blended nicely with the macaroni and cheese, and I couldn’t identify separate layers in the finished dish. It just seemed like a typical Macaroni and Cheese.
Here is the original recipe:
Apparently macaroni was different a hundred years ago from what it is now. The recipe calls for breaking the macaroni into inch pieces. Today, it is already cut into pieces that are about an inch long.
When I read this recipe I wasn’t clear whether the three teaspoons of salt went into the water that the macaroni was boiled in, or if it was sprinkled on the layers of macaroni in the casserole dish. In any case, it seemed like a lot of salt, so I instead cooked the macaroni in water that contained 1 teaspoon salt, and just sprinkled a little salt on the layers in the dish.
450° F. seemed like a very high temperature to bake this dish, but it worked. The Macaroni with Cheese cooked very quickly at this temperature.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Macaroni with Cheese
3 cups macaroni
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar.)
2 slices bread torn into very small pieces (about 1 cup of bread pieces)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450° F. Put water and 1 teaspoon salt into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil using high heat. Add macaroni, and reduce heat so that the water gently simmers. Cook the macaroni until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Cover the bottom of a buttered 2-quart casserole dish with 1/4 of the bread crumbs. Add a layer with 1/3 of the macaroni. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese; then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with bits of the butter. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of bread crumbs.
Pour the cream over the top of the layers. Put in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are lightly browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly.
A Hundred Years Ago 
I love that it was called Macaroni WITH Cheese!
Whew, your comment made me realize that I somehow breezed right past the “with” when I read the hundred-year-old recipe – and assumed it said more modern “and” when I wrote this post. Not sure how I did that. It’s fixed now. Thanks!
I just thought it was interesting, the macaroni the focus WITH some cheese, not equal billing!
It is interesting! I’m glad you pointed it out.
This is fairly different from a standard British recipe which calls for stirring the cooked pasta into a cheesy bechamel sauce. Interestingly, increasingly the dish is called Macaroni and Cheese, as you do, rather than the long-established Macaroni Cheese (or Mac Cheese) which we always called it before.
In the U.S we generally say Macaroni and Cheese (or Mac and Cheese). Not sure why.
There we are again. Two peoples divided by a common language 😉
We’ve sure identified a lot of differences across the years. 🙂
😉
This is interesting. Almost like a bread pudding approach. I’m tempted to try it.
I think you’d like it. When I made this recipe, I was surprised that I could barely see or taste the bread layers.
I love baked macaroni and cheese with bread crumbs.
Agree- It’s tasty.
Yes, gives it a better texture and taste, while still bringing on the comfort.
I’m going to have to try this one! I bet it would be a hit at my upcoming potluck!
I think they’d like it. Once possible tweak – be generous with the cheese when you make the recipe. I think that modern recipes might typically call for a little more cheese than this recipe.
Oh, you hit my favourite! I’ve never heard of it prepared this way, but it sounds delicious. I am going to give it a try.
It’s nice to hear that I hit your favorite.
Macaroni with Cheese, the magical dish that most children (and adults) will eat with a smile in their heart.
This recipe sounds pretty tasty. I agree about the salt, the original was a bit much.