People Were So Excited About Ina Garten’s Overnight Mac and Cheese Recipe That They Crashed Her Website

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa (and, after her cosmo cocktail video, our quarantine queen), has always specialized in food that balances a simple elegance with an innate element of comfort. And all that without being overly fussy or requiring too much work. So, when she posted a photo on Instagram last week showing off her recipe for overnight mac and cheese — no need to make a bechamél — of course people freaked out.

Just how obsessed did people get with the new recipe? Well, enough that they crashed Ina’s website clamoring for the information about how to do make it. When a commenter noticed that the link she had put in her profile wasn’t working, Ina responded: “So sorry the server is overloaded and we’re increasing the capacity.” Yup, that’s right — the comfort food-craving masses of quarantine forced Ina to upgrade her server. Within the hour, though, the changes had been made and the recipe was back online.

It’s an overnight recipe, so it does require a little planning, but not too much work. You cook the macaroni, mix some of the cheese with cream and spices, and then combine with the noodles and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, you add the rest of the cheese and the breadcrumbs, and bake. Voila! You’re done.

In the comments, aside from walking people through the delays because of the server overload, Ina helps people find links, talks them through potential substitutions (no, you can’t make a fat-free version; no, you can’t skip the overnight; yes, you can double it), and thanks them for reading along. It’s a lovely, humble gesture, and exactly what you might think about Ina doing in quarantine: cooking amazing food, then making sure that everyone else can, too.

Try Ina’s Recipe: Overnight Mac & Cheese