Photo by Zinnia Ahmed 

Fresh from the oven! Southern style macaroni and cheese.

Despite most APUSH classes spotlighting historical Black figures throughout American History, one topic is frequently glossed over: the creation and cultivation of Black American soul food. Its origins tell us a lot about Black history, especially how Black culture developed throughout America’s birth as a nation. 

“Soul Food” as a term was first seen in print during the 60’s wave of Black pride, used to categorize Black American Southern food. Black Southern food had existed for years before the term itself was used. Its roots lie in slavery, with enslaved Black people being given cheap cuts of meat or foods that were considered to have little to no value. Soul food then stems from resilience and perseverance of Black culture despite the evils of the slavery system in America. 

During the Great Migration, the culture and dishes of soul cooking spread throughout America, and in hubs of Black culture, soul food was cultivated and developed further by Black communities. Harlem chef JJ Johnson stated “I realized that at one point in life, all Black people could celebrate was soul food.” In honor of the culture that soul food carries, I made traditional soul mac and cheese, complete with hand grated cheeses. 

Recipe

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cavatappi or rotini pasta
• 3 large eggs (in this economy?!)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 ½ cups of half and half
• 8 oz of mozzarella cheese
• 8 oz of cheddar cheese
• 8 oz of pepper jack cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp Red chili powder

• Optional
• Breadcrumbs (I used Italian Seasoning, but plain should work fine too!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Boil water in a pot. Generously salt the water. Add pasta when the water starts to boil. Cook for 8-10 minutes until al-dente and drain.
3. In a large bowl, beat the 3 eggs until frothy. Add in the milk and half and half. Mix thoroughly.
4. Set aside ½ cup each of the pepper jack and the cheddar cheese. Add the rest of the cheese (the mozzarella, pepper jack, and cheddar cheese) to the milk mixture. 
5. Mix the cheese with the milk and fold the pasta gently into the cheese/milk mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and 2 tbsp of red chili powder (adjust to your liking).
6. Once thoroughly mixed, move the mixture to any pan that it would fit in (I used a circular pan with a 8 inch diameter)
7. Put in the oven, bake uncovered for 30 minutes. 
8. After 30 minutes, add the cheese on top and broil for 5-6 minutes on high until melted.
9.  Add a generous (but not too heavy!) layer of breadcrumbs. This step is optional, but it helps to add some nice crunch and extra flavor. Broil on high until the breadcrumbs are cooked (golden brown color). 
10. Let cool slightly for 10-15 minutes, and share with your friends and family!

Every dish has its own unique culture and flavor around it. I hope that next time you want to share your cooking skills with your family and friends, you branch out and try new cuisines! Stepping out of your comfort zone is definitely hard to do, but practice makes perfect! 

Notes:

You don’t have to use block cheese! With rising grocery prices, pre-grated cheese did not affect the taste and texture too much to the point of it being grainy or powdery as some people say. 

This recipe does taste very slightly of eggs, as they are used as a binding ingredient for the mac and cheese. If you don’t like that, take one of the eggs out and substitute with an equal weight of heavy whipping cream. 

You can also substitute the cheeses out for any you prefer! Most recipes I saw used some type of pepper jack, and during one of my trials I used jalapeno pepper jack cheese. Cooking is all about experimenting and finding out what you like, so don’t be afraid to modify a recipe to your liking. 

Be careful when broiling the cheese and breadcrumbs! They tend to catch easily, and with the variation in oven modes, the timing in this recipe is a ballpark in relation to my oven. Just keep a close eye on it and yours should turn out great!

Sources: 

PBS - The Spirit of Soul Food: More Than Just Shrimp and Grits by Kayla Stewart

Encyclopedia Britannica - Soul Food by Anita Wolff