Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This mac and cheese is so creamy and cheesy that you will make it all the time. A wonderful side dish to serve with fried chicken, ribs, sausages or any protein you choose as part of an everyday meal or a holiday, such as the Fourth of July. If you don’t have the time to bake it then no worries, this is just as delicious right out of the pot after you mix the pasta with the cheese sauce. If you eat it this way then you don’t need to use the panko bread crumbs and olive oil mixture.

For the cheese, you can use a mixture of your favorite cheeses, just make sure you also use a couple of ounces of cream cheese or block processed cheese, like Velveeta, it gives it that perfect creaminess that you expect in a cheesy casserole dish. For the milk you can use skim, 1% or 2%, as well, but it’s a lot richer, creamier, and more flavorful with half and half or whole.

Some substitutions you can make for the pasta is the equivalent of peeled, diced, and parboiled potato or with cauliflower, which makes it a lower carb version if you are watching your carbs…but still very delicious 🙂 . Also, if you want to insert some healthiness into this dish then make it with 2 less cups of pasta and sub with 2 cups of small cut pieces of blanched broccoli…delicious!

You will need:

• 16 ounces dry short cut pasta (such as medium shells or elbow)
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups half and half or whole milk
• 8 ounces cheddar (or a mixture of your favorites), shredded
• 4 ounces cream cheese or processed cheese
• 4 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Boil pasta to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside when done.
3. In the meantime, melt butter in a pot on medium low heat. Once completely melted add flour, salt, and pepper and stir well to make a roux. Cook for a minute as you continue to stir.
4. Pour in half of the milk as you stir well until all lumps are gone, then add the rest and stir until smooth.
5. Bring sauce (called bechamel) to a simmer on medium low heat and when you see it popping bubbles then it has also thickened as much as it will so turn off the heat and add your cheeses. Stir well until melted and creamy.
6. Add drained pasta to cheese sauce mixture, and gently fold everything together with a rubber spatula and pour into a lightly buttered 9″ by 13″ casserole dish.
7. Mix panko bread crumbs with olive oil and a dash of freshly grated pepper and sprinkle onto the casserole.
8. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes. If the bread crumbs aren’t as golden as you would like then broil for a minute or two, but keep an eye on it cause broiling can burn the crumbs in the blink of an eye 🙂 .

Kali Orexi!