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Social Circle Macaroni Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Nathalie Dupree's Favorite Stories and Recipes"


Recipe Introduction

"Celeste Dupree, maven of Social Circle, Georgia, taught me how important Macaroni Pie is to the South when she taught me to make this custardy rendition of macaroni and cheese. I use it as a side dish, a starter, or a main course. It can be doubled if a larger dish is used. It is an ultimate comfort food."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups cooked and drained spaghetti (macaroni)
â—¦ 4 tablespoons butter, melted
â—¦ 4 large eggs, beaten to mix
â—¦ 3 cups milk
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground hot red pepper, optional
â—¦ 1 pound sharp cheddar or Gruyère cheese, grated


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roughly cut the cooked spaghetti into 3-inch pieces and toss with half the butter. Lightly whisk the eggs with the milk in a large bowl. Add the mustard, salt, peppers, and half the cheese. Put half the spaghetti into a greased 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with cheese to cover and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Ladle on half the egg/cheese mixture, top with the rest of the spaghetti. Ladle on the remainder of the mixture and enough cheese and the remaining butter to cover the top. If the dish is deep, it may not need all the cheese.

Move to the preheated oven. If the dish is less than three inches deep, bake for 30 minutes; if deeper, bake for about 45 minutes. Check and reduce the heat 25 degrees if the cheese is browning too much or the custard is bubbling. Cover lightly with foil and continue to cook until a fork inserted in the custard comes out clean and the top is golden brown, up to 40 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the baking dish.

Serves 6 to 8