Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This macaroni and cheese is delicious and easy to make. You can make it earlier in the day, or the night before and bake it right before you want to eat it.

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Ingredients

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

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Boil pasta to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside when done.
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.
Pour in half of the milk as you stir well until all lumps are gone, then add the rest and stir until smooth.
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.
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.
Mix panko bread crumbs with olive oil and a dash of freshly grated pepper and sprinkle onto the casserole.
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 🙂 .