10 old-fashioned macaroni and cheese recipes

10 vintage macaroni and cheese recipes from the ’60s

When the question is “What’s for dinner?” nothing could be a more popular answer than macaroni and cheese. It’s a comfort food every good cook can rely on — and one that everyone enjoys eating.

Here are some delicious mac & cheese recipes to keep on file with other “use often” favorites — including several tasty variations you may not have tried.

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1. Mrs Johnson’s macaroni and cheese (1966)

Comfort food: “Here is my recipe for a really fine macaroni and cheese casserole, the best I’ve found.” – Mrs E Johnson, Atlanta, Georgia

Ingredients

1 6-ounce package of dry macaroni
1 cup of coarse breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of (black) pepper
1 jar (2 ounces) of chopped pimento
1/2 cup of chopped green peppers
3 green onions and tops, thinly sliced
1 package (8 ounces) of sharp Cheddar cheese
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
3 egg whites
1-1/2 cups of milk
1 cup of sour cream

Directions

Cook macaroni as directed; drain. Mix in bread crumbs, salt, pepper, pimento, green pepper, green onion, and diced cheese. Blend in 3 slightly-beaten egg yolks, milk, and sour cream.

Beat the eggs whites until stiff, then fold into the macaroni mixture and move into a buttered baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes, or until custard is set.

Makes 8 servings

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2. Skillet macaroni and cheese (1967)

This version of macaroni and cheese is a maverick, for all the ingredients are cooked right in the same skillet on the range top, a quick and easy technique that’s a boon for busy days.

The first stage of this unique skillet macaroni and cheese is a butter-simmering of the uncooked macaroni with seasonings for maximum flavor goodness. Water is then added to the skillet to cook the macaroni to just-right tenderness.

Finally, evaporated milk and nippy Cheddar cheese are blended in to complete the smooth, rich saucing. Thin discs of raw carrot stirred through the finished dish just before serving, add color emphasis and a refreshing crunchiness. Chopped green pepper or celery would serve equally as flavor, color and texture accents.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. (7 oz.) elbow macaroni
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups water
1 tablespoon flour
1 tall can evaporated milk (1-2/3 cups)
1/2 lb. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 or 2 carrots, pared and sliced thin

Directions

In a large skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add uncooked macaroni. onion, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard. Cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring now and then.

Add water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover skillet and cook over very low heat until macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over macaroni and stir to blend well. Stir in evaporated milk and shredded cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese has completely melted and sauce is smooth, about five minutes. Sprinkle carrot slices over macaroni and serve immediately. Makes six to eight servings.

Note: If preferred, 1/2 cup chopped green pepper or celery may be used in place of thinly-sliced carrots.

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3. Macaroni and cheese recipe (1964)

(This recipe appears in “The Gasparilla Cookbook” above the name of Mrs. A. Pickens Coles.)

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups of scalded milk
3/4 cups of soft bread crumbs
3 tablespoons of butter
1-1/2 cups of cooked macaroni
1/2 tablespoons of chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs, well beaten

Directions

Pour scalded milk over the bread crumbs; add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour into buttered casserole dish, then place the casserole in a pan of water and bake in the oven preheated to 375 F for 45 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

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4. Bacon and cheese macaroni bake (1967)

There’s nothing like bacon for enhancing the flavor and appearance of a macaroni and cheese casserole. Crisp bacon with its delightful cured, smoky flavor gives an entirely new dimension to old-fashioned macaroni and cheese.

A pound of bacon is a thrifty meat-of-the-meal when skillfully combined with other foods the family enjoys. When pennies count, serve the family a big casserole of Bacon and Cheese Macaroni Bake. Fill a salad bowl with greens and salad vegetables, and you’ll have the making of a hearty, inexpensive dinner.

This attractive casserole is edged with bacon curls. To make these pretty curls, just roll each bacon slice round and round the tines of a fork the minute the bacon is taken from the frying pan. Bacon curls make handsome toppings for casseroles, platters of eggs, or stacks of pancakes.

Save bacon drippings; they do wonderful things for the flavor of vegetables, salads and quick breads. Store them in the refrigerator in a covered jar. They can then be melted and used when making cornbread, muffins or pancakes, seasoning green beans or cooked carrots, for frying potatoes or making dressing for wilted lettuce or German-style potato salads.

Ingredients

1 pound sliced bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed
Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup milk
l tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 package (7-ounce) elbow macaroni,
cooked and drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons diced pimientos, optional

Directions

Fry or broil bacon as directed on package label. Save 1/4 cup of drippings. Roll 12 slices of bacon, one slice at a time, around the tines of a dinner fork to make 12 bacon curls. Save 4 or 5 bacon strips for top of casserole, crumble remaining bacon slices.

Saute onion in reserved bacon drippings: Add cheese soup. milk. Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix and heat. Stir in crumbled bacon, macaroni, cheese and pimiento.

Pour into shallow 2-quart casserole. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees F.) until heated. about 25 minutes. Arrange bacon slices and curls on macaroni. Return to oven to heat bacon, 3 or 4 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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5. Classic macaroni and cheese with onion recipe (1964)

Ingredients

1/2 pound of dry macaroni
1-1/2 cups (3/8 of a pound) of grated cheese – American or Cheddar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of butter
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 medium onion (chopped fine) – or 2 tablespoons of instant (powdered) onion
About 2 cups of milk (to cover)

Directions

Cook macaroni in boiling salt water until tender. Add 2 teaspoons of salt per cup of macaroni. Drain the macaroni and rinse with cold water; then rinse again. Combine the last six ingredients with the macaroni in a buttered baking dish and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes.

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6. Macaroni & cheese supreme (1967)

Ingredients

3-1/2 cups of elbow macaroni (1-3/4 cups cooked)
4 ounce can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup of finely cut pimento
1-1/4 cups of cubed American cheese
3/4 cup of PET’s evaporated milk
3 tablespoons of cut up onion
2 teaspoons of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of (black) pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (moderate).

2. Mix, in a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish, the macaroni, mushrooms, and pimento.

3. Combine rest of ingredients in a pan over low heat until the cheese melts completely.

4. Stir the cheese mixture into the macaroni in the baking dish. Top with cheese or tomato slices. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly hot.

Makes 6 servings

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7. Swiss macaroni & cheese (1969)

A little different from the run-of-the-mill macaroni and cheese

Ingredients

8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of salt
Pinch of (black) pepper
2 cups of milk
2 cups of shredded, processed Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon of Sauterne (semi-sweet white wine)
Bread crumbs

Directions

Cook macaroni according to directions on packaging until tender. Drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat; blend in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the milk and stir constantly, and cook until sauce is smooth and thick.

Remove from heat, then add cheese and Sauterne. Fold in the macaroni. Pour into a buttered 1-1/2 quart baking dish, or six individual casserole dishes. Sprinkle bread crumbs. Bake in moderate oven, 350 F, for 10-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 6 servings

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8. Man-pleasin’ meaty macaroni ‘n’ cheese (1968)

Ingredients

2 cups of elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 pound of lean ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup of sliced celery
1 15-ounce can of Hunt’s tomato sauce with tomato bits
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni as directed on the package; drain. Brown the beef, onion, and celery in a skillet. Pour off excess fat. Stir in Hunt’s tomato sauce with tomato bits, then the salt and pepper. Combine meat mixture with the macaroni into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.

Makes 5-6 servings

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9. Macaroni and cheese casserole (1967)

Even the most imaginative cooks repeat certain recipes often. A macaroni and cheese casserole, for example, is the kind of dish which lends itself to frequent repetition for guest or family meals throughout the entire year.

Ingredients

1/4 cup of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cups of milk
4 cups of cooked macaroni
2-1/2 cups of shredded, sharp American cheese
1 cup of buttered, soft bread crumbs

Directions

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat, then blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Add macaroni — arrange alternate layers of macaroni and cheese in a buttered casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake in a 350 F oven for 45-50 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

10. World’s best macaroni & cheese (1965)

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups of elbow macaroni
3/4 pound of very sharp Cheddar cheese, diced fine
1 tall can evaporated milk (1-2/3 cups)
Seasoned salt

Directions

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain and turn into a well-greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Stir in cheese, milk, and seasoned salt to your taste.

Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, or until the sauce is as thick as desired. Makes 4 servings.