I made Ina Garten's easy overnight mac and cheese, and it was one of the best dishes I've ever made for Thanksgiving

Ever since I was inspired to live like Ina for a day at the start of the pandemic, the "Barefoot Contessa" star has been my biggest source of inspiration in the kitchen.

From her five-cheese penne (perfect for cold winter nights) to her easy (but super satisfying) weeknight bolognese, a Garten pasta has never led me astray.

So, I figured, why should I stop just because it's the holidays?

Garten's overnight mac and cheese is a bonus recipe in the reissue of her very first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," which originally came out in 1999.

I got my hands on the republished cookbook in October, and immediately knew I wanted to test the mac and cheese recipe for Thanksgiving dinner.

Garten calls her new mac and cheese the "perfect make-ahead dish," which sounded great for the holidays. Plus, she said it's the "creamiest, crustiest, most delicious mac and cheese" that she's ever made — how could I not try it?

To make Garten's dish for four, you'll need:

• 8 ounces cavatappi or elbow macaroni
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups fine fresh white breadcrumbs

I have to be honest with you, reader, I doubled this recipe to make enough pasta for six people. I should also note that I didn't actually make my own breadcrumbs for this recipe as I was cooking two additional "Barefoot Contessa" dishes at the same time for Friendsgiving. As Garten herself says, sometimes store-bought really is fine!

But if you do want to make your own breadcrumbs at home, Garten's instructions are as follows: Remove the crusts from five slices of white bread and dice them. Put the bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until you have fine crumbs.

I brought a large pot of water to a boil and added two tablespoons of salt.

I let the pasta cook for exactly four minutes, per Garten's instructions, then drained the pot and set it aside. Garten also notes not to rinse the pasta during this step.

While the pasta was partially cooking, I grated both the Gruyère and sharp white cheddar cheeses so they'd be ready for the sauce. If you're making this dish for four, you'll want to grate 1 cup of your Gruyère and ½ cup of the cheddar.

Garten notes that, unlike most mac and cheese pastas, you don't need to make a roux for her overnight mac and cheese.

And her sauce is incredibly simple. First, I added my two cheeses to a medium-sized bowl.

Six cups of heavy cream just sounded like too much, so I added a full 32-ounce bottle (the equivalent of 4 cups) to the sauce, and the end result was still beautifully creamy — trust me.

I added the nutmeg to the bowl, along with salt and pepper. You'll want to add two teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of pepper if you're making this for four.

I stirred the hot pasta into the creamy mixture, then covered the bowl with plastic wrap and threw it in the fridge for 24 hours, per Garten's instructions.

Garten recommends letting your creamy mixture sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking it.

If you don't have that kind of time, she said you can also microwave it for four minutes.

If you're making this for four, you'll want to combine 1 cup of Gruyère cheese with ½ cup of cheddar.

If you made your own breadcrumbs (major props to you), Garten recommends combining them with 2 tablespoons of melted butter before sprinkling on top.

I baked the mac and cheese at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The dish looked extremely appetizing, and I loved that it needed less than 30 minutes to finish on the night of my Friendsgiving. Since there was barely any additional work necessary, I was able to bake it just as my friends started arriving so I could serve it straight out of the oven.

Among a delicious spread that included cornbread, mashed potatoes, brisket, roast chicken, and the wildest Thanksgiving cake you'll ever see, it was this mac and cheese that everyone couldn't stop talking about.

The crust created by the breadcrumbs gave each bite a delicious crunch, and the sauce was decadent without overpowering the entire dish.

My boyfriend, who was my sous chef for the night, said the pasta was "exceptionally creamy" and the "perfect mix of salt and breadcrumbs."

"I love how all the pasta just hugs the cheese and breadcrumbs," our friend Jeff added. "It's like a hug in your mouth."

There's something so indulgent about Garten's dish thanks to its creamy sauce, but the actual recipe is fairly simple. And since you can make it a day or two ahead, it's a great pasta for a dinner party where you'll be juggling quite a few things — or a quick but easy dish to delight everyone at a potluck.

Since it's so cheesy and comforting, I'd definitely make this pasta for a busy and chilly week in winter as well. And I won't lie to you, reader, we loved this mac and cheese so much that we nibbled on it the next day without even bothering to warm the dish up. It's that delicious.

So whether you're looking to impress at the next holiday party, or just want a soothing bowl of ooey gooey pasta, this overnight mac and cheese has definitely got you covered.