Excerpted from Mary’s Comfort Classics by Mary Berg. Copyright © 2026 Mary Berg. Photographs by Kyla Zanardi. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
| Portions |
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| Serves 4 |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder or 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups grated orange cheddar, divided
- ¼ cup finely chopped roasted red peppers
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 20–25 Ritz crackers
- ¼ cup ground Parmesan (see note)
- ¼–½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- Pinch smoked paprika
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a 9-inch square baking pan or 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Set a pot of water to boil over high heat, season well with salt, and cook the macaroni for about 1 minute less than the package directions indicate or just until a little under al dente, then drain and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard powder or Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the pasta has cooled slightly, transfer it to the prepared baking pan. Scatter with 2 cups of the cheddar, the roasted red peppers, and the jalapeños and gently mix to evenly distribute. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the pasta and set aside while you prepare the topping.
- For the topping, place the crackers in a bowl or a large zip-top bag and crush them up a bit. Add the ground Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and butter and mix well to combine. Finally, add the remaining cup of grated cheddar and mix to combine. Scatter the topping over the macaroni, add a pinch of smoked paprika, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set in the middle and golden brown on top.
- Set aside to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Note: Unlike other baked mac and cheese recipes, my mom’s is more of a cheesy, custardy, sliceable casserole than a saucy, spoonable number.
And Another Note! Whenever one of my recipes calls for ground Parmesan rather than Parmigiano-Reggiano, just know that I mean that shaky little container of Parm you find in the aisles of your local grocery store. I unabashedly love the stuff, but I know that a lot of people don’t, so feel free to replace it with the real thing. Just make sure you use ground, not grated, cheese, as ground holds up better to the heat of the oven.