Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (2024)

Published on: March 9, 2021

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If you’re looking for a meal that’s sure to be a hit, look no further than Patti LaBelle’s macaroni and cheese recipe!

Patti LaBelle is not just an award-winning singer, she’s a pretty impressive home cook, as well. Case in point: her ridiculously delectable macaroni and cheese.

Think you’ve nailed the perfect mac and cheese recipe? I’ll bet this one will change your mind.

Oozing with four different kinds of cheese, Patti LaBelle definitely knows a thing or two about comfort food.

Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (1)

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Patti LaBelle’s Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and cheese is the quintessential comfort food. How can you go wrong with pasta and cheese? It’s such a feel-good dish that one bowl is enough to cure the blues.

While I have no qualms about the classic mac and cheese, I enjoy it more when baked. It’s why Patti LaBelle’s recipe ranks at the top.

Something magical happens to cheese as it bakes.

It turns into a beautiful golden brown and forms a crisp crust that contrasts wonderfully with the firm pasta and ooey-gooey sauce.

The best part is that it’s a snap to make. There’s no need to make a roux. The rich ingredients in this recipe alone are enough to make a thick sauce.

Ingredients

  • Macaroni. The “mac” in mac and cheese.
  • Butter. For added richness. Use unsalted butter because the sauce is already pretty loaded with salt.
  • Cheeses. A combo of Muenster, mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Velveeta. Talk about a quadruple threat! To say that this mac and cheese is cheesy is an understatement.
  • Half-and-half. The liquid that makes up the sauce. You can also use whole milk.
  • 8 Ounces Velveeta Cheese, Cubed
  • Eggs. The binding ingredient used to thicken the sauce.
  • Salt and Pepper. To taste.

Tips for the Best Mac & Cheese

  • Shred your own cheese. Sure, using pre-shredded cheese is a lot easier, but it contains cellulose, an anti-caking agent that prevents the cheese from melting at its best.

If you grate the cheese yourself, not only will you get wonderfully melted cheese, you’ll also save a few bucks.

  • Mac and cheese calls for regular elbow macaroni pasta, but feel free to have fun with it! Any small, tubular pasta shells will work.
  • If you’re using elbow macaroni, go for the big ones. That way, the shells will get stuffed generously with the sauce. Yum!
  • Undercook the pasta for the perfect al dente consistency. Remember that you’ll bake it for 30 minutes, which means it will cook further in the oven. Once cooked, drain the pasta immediately and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • If you have over-cooked the pasta by accident, here’s a simple fix: coat it with butter before baking. The coating will prevent the pasta from absorbing liquid during baking, stopping it from softening further.
  • You’re already making something sinful anyway, so why not go all-in? Wondering how to make your mac and cheese even better? Add bacon or ham!.
  • Spice it up with jalapenos, sriracha, or red chili flakes.
  • Be sure to taste as you go, especially if you plan on customizing the recipe. Add more or less of whatever ingredient you want to please your taste buds.
  • Do not overbake the mac and cheese, otherwise, the macaroni will be too mushy. Stop once the top is golden and the cheeses start to bubble.
  • Resist the temptation! Let the mac and cheese rest for a while before serving. This will allow the flavors to marry, giving you an even more irresistible meal.
  • Cover leftover mac and cheese (although I highly doubt you’ll have any) in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (2)

Best Cheese Options

There is no such thing as wrong cheese. When making mac and cheese, you can use whatever type of cheese and you’ll still end up with a pretty epic dish.

Patti LaBelle’s version already has a ton of cheese in it, but here are more top-notch cheeses to try:

  • Gruyere
  • Swiss
  • Mozzarella
  • Parmesan
  • Bleu Cheese (just a bit, though, because the flavor is really sharp.)
  • Gouda
  • Brie
  • Cream Cheese
  • Goat Cheese
  • Colby Jack

Ideas for Serving

The beauty of mac and cheese is that you can serve it either as a side or a main dish. To complete your meal, pair mac and cheese with these scrumptious dishes:

  • If you find it too rich, balance it out with a refreshing salad. Use a bright vinaigrette dressing to contrast the cheesy dish.
  • Here’s another light dish to counteract the heavy dish: roasted vegetables. Choose from broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus. You can mix and match, too!
  • Looking for something meaty? Pick from oven-fried chicken, ham, turkey, pork chops, pulled pork, or steak.

More Mac and Cheese Recipes to Try

Cracker Barrel Mac and Cheese
Trisha Yearwood’s Mac and Cheese

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Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (3)

Patti LaBelle’s Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Servings

8

servings

Cooking time

45

minutes

Calories

632

kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 pound macaroni

  • 9 tablespoons butter, separated

  • 1/2 cup Muenster cheese, shredded

  • 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

  • 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

  • 2 cups half-and-half

  • 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Grease a deep, 2 1/2-quart baking dish with butter.
  • Fill a large pot with water. Mix in the vegetable oil and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain well and rinse with cold water.
  • Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in the microwave or a saucepan. Pour the butter into the macaroni and stir.
  • In a large bowl, combine the shredded Muenster, mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses.
  • Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses to the macaroni. Stir in the half-and-half, Velveeta, and eggs; season with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese evenly. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and the cheeses start to bubble. Serve hot. Enjoy!
Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (4)

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Patti LaBelle's Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What cheese is best for mac and cheese patti labelle? ›

1/2 cup each of four shredded cheeses (Patti recommends Muenster, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar and Monterrey Jack.)

What can you add to mac and cheese to make it thicker? ›

Unsalted Butter + All-Purpose Flour: The combination of these creates a roux, which thickens the cheese sauce. Milk: The base of the cheese sauce! I recommend using whole milk for a richer, thicker sauce, but 2% will also work.

Why add flour to mac and cheese? ›

We'll need to make a roux (pronounced “roo”) to make the cheese sauce. It's a mixture of equal parts flour and butter (equal in weight, not volume). The roux will help thicken our milk and make our sauce creamy.

What are the 3 best cheeses for mac and cheese? ›

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

What cheeses not to use for mac and cheese? ›

I would avoid Swiss (greasy when melted), mozzarella (melts great but noticeably bland here), parm (doesn't blend well with this technique), pecorino (same problem), and all low-fat or part-skim cheeses, which will not turn into a sauce at all but a bunch of stringy sludge. Avoid at all costs.

How does Gordon Ramsay make mac and cheese? ›

Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese is a simplified recipe. Just boil pasta in milk and then, add butter, cheese, salt, and pepper to it. Merge all the elements and Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese will be ready in no time.

What is the difference between mac and cheese and macaroni and cheese? ›

Macaroni and cheese (also known as mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom) is a dish of macaroni and a cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar sauce. Its origins trace back to cheese and pasta casseroles dating to the 14th century in Italy and medieval England.

Which president made mac and cheese popular? ›

James Hemings: The Enslaved Chef of Thomas Jefferson Who Created Mac and Cheese.

What can I add to homemade mac and cheese to give it more flavor? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Your Macaroni and Cheese Dinners
  1. Add extra cheese to your dish.
  2. Mix in some hot sauce and chicken to make buffalo chicken mac n' cheese.
  3. Add in vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.
  4. Sprinkle some bacon bits or breadcrumbs on the top of your dish.
  5. Add spices and fresh herbs to your dish.
May 21, 2022

What does adding more milk to mac and cheese do? ›

Sauce too thick? Stir in a splash of milk and mix until the sauce has loosened up. (This is also a great trick for reheating mac and cheese - if you're microwaving leftovers and the sauce seems to have dried up, stir a splash of milk or half-and-half into the pasta to bring the sauce back to life!)

How do you increase the flavor of cheese in mac and cheese? ›

Ways to add flavor to Home-Made Mac and Cheese;
  1. Add Different Types Of Chopped Pickles; Sweet, Dill Etc.
  2. Add Different Types Of Mustard; Honey, Reg. ...
  3. Add Different Types Of Ketchup; Sweet, Reg. ...
  4. Add Different Types Of Hot Sauce or Hot Peppers. ...
  5. Add Different Types Of Pasta Sauces, Tomato Sauces, Pesto.
Oct 25, 2010

Can you put too much cheese in mac and cheese? ›

Can you put too much cheese in mac and cheese? Yes, adding more cheese than a recipe calls for will not improve the dish. Too much cheese will result in a dish that is heavy and greasy.

Why does my homemade mac and cheese taste bland? ›

If your mac and cheese tastes bland, it's either because it's under-seasoned, you didn't use flavorful cheese, or you didn't use enough cheese. Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it.

How to keep macaroni and cheese creamy? ›

Butter and flour: The combination of butter and flour thickens our creamy cheese sauce. You'll cook them together on the stove and then add the milk. The mixture thickens, and you can add your cheese. Easy!

Which is better for mac and cheese? ›

Both mild and sharp cheeses can be used for mac and cheese, but for the best flavor result, sharp cheese, like cheddar, is best. Sharp cheeses like aged cheddar add a stronger flavor, while mild cheeses like Monterey Jack provide a milder taste.

What is the best mac and cheese in the world? ›

#1 Ranked Frozen Mac & Cheese by the Tasting Table. It's purely the handcrafted, artisan cheese. Beecher's “World's Best” Mac & Cheese is made with a unique combination of our signature Flagship and Just Jack cheeses.

What are the best soft cheeses for mac and cheese? ›

  • Quark.
  • Cottage Cheese.
  • Burrata.
  • Cheese Spreads.
  • Cheese Curds.
  • Cream Cheese.
  • Feta.
  • Mascarpone.

Which type of cheese is delicious? ›

Brie is known as the "Queen of Cheeses" and is beloved for its light, buttery, salty taste and smooth, creamy texture. Brie has a thick paste that turns wonderfully runny when left at room temperature and has an edible bloomy outer rind. Brie is one of the most popular types of cheese to grace a charcuterie board.

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