ABC News' Janai Norman opened up her home kitchen to share a family recipe that has been a holiday staple. And to demonstrate how it's done, she enlisted the help of a very special sous chef -- her mom.
"I'm going to share your recipe that is a staple of Thanksgiving, Christmas, anytime that you can get your family together, especially in Black families," Norman said. "And that is the macaroni and cheese -- that is not to be confused with mac and cheese -- macaroni and cheese. It represents celebration in love together, and that's what it does."
"This is a recipe that my mom has been making for years; she got it from my granny, who is no longer around. I'm going to learn how to make it," she continued. "You go with it, what feels good and right from your soul -- maybe that's where the term 'soul food' comes from."
Check out Tammy's full macaroni and cheese recipe below and watch the video for their fun family tutorial.
Ingredients
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups half and half
2 large eggs
4 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar (about 16 ounces)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
2 cups shredded American (about 8 ounces)
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the water is boiling, add the macaroni and cook the noodles until halfway cooked -- do not cook fully. Remove from the pot and drain the water.
Combine the cheeses with the eggs, half and half, and salt and pepper.
Prepare a casserole or glass baking dish with some butter.
Spread a thin base layer of the cheese mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add and cover your first layer of macaroni, make your thin layer so the goal is to layer and repeat. Add thin pats of butter between the layers.
Bake for 30 minutes or up to 45 minutes. Tammy notes that you can tell it's done if there is no longer any liquid, and it should be casserole-like in texture.
If you want it brown on top, leave an additional 5 minutes.
Editor's note: This was originally published on Dec. 20, 2021.