Chrissy Teigen Admits John Legend’s Mac and Cheese Recipe Is the Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish
For many Americans, Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without mac and cheese on the table. But when it comes to whipping up a pan of carby, gooey goodness, there’s no agreement on the right recipe — even among celebrities.
In Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s house, there’s a bit of a battle over whose mac and cheese recipe is the best. While cookbook author and model Teigen still insists that her version is superior, she admits that her musician husband’s take on the dish might be the way to go if you’re serving dinner buffet-style.
Chrissy Teigen gives props to John Legend’s mac and cheese recipe
On her Cravings website, Teigen shared some of her favorite holiday recipes, from smothered turkey to sweet potato streusel pie. Also on the list was “John’s Macaroni and Cheese.”
“I’ll admit it, it’s good,” the social media maven wrote. Though she added that she “still like[s] my creamy version better.”
What made Teigen come around on her husband’s casserole-style take on the beloved side? For one, it’s easy to prep, since it doesn’t require you to make a separate bechamel sauce; instead, the recipe calls for a sauce made of evaporated milk and cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. It also “may (aren’t I kind?) just sit a little better on a buffet,” Teigen admits, which is a pretty great quality for a serve-yourself Thanksgiving dinner.
Chrissy Teigen still prefers her creamier mac and cheese
Teigen may have grudgingly admitted that Legend’s mac and cheese has its merits. But she still insists her recipe is better. In her Cravings cookbook, a clearly miffed Teigen writes that “people lose it” when Legend makes his dish, “like he literally invented mac and cheese.” (Via PopSugar.) But, she writes, she prefers a creamier and saucier dish, rather than her husband’s, which can be “sliced and wrapped in foil like a brick.”
Teigen’s mac and cheese is made with a mix of cheddar, gruyère, and American cheese. And it’s topped with cheesy garlic breadcrumbs that provide a little crunch to contrast with the creamy sauce.
Chrissy Teigen’s green bean casserole contains a divisive ingredient
Green bean casserole is another classic Thanksgiving dish, though not everyone loves the combination of cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and French Fried onions. Plenty of people have created updated versions of the 1955 recipe that avoid the canned and processed ingredients. But Teigen isn’t having it.
Her green bean casserole recipe is a little more complicated than the traditional one. It adds cubed ham, cheese, garlic powder, and chicken broth. But it still calls for canned cream of mushroom soup. Teigen says using the canned soup might not be fancy, but it’s essential for preserving the traditional flavor of the dish.
“We’ve all seen the recipes that replace what we know is the best part of a green bean casserole — the canned cream of mushroom soup — with ‘real’ ingredients,” she wrote on her website.
“Well, in our house the can is the real ingredient and we’re pretty happy about it,” she added. “It binds the casserole together, gives it that killer mushroomy flavor, and is nostalgic AF. Permission granted!”
