The best baked mac and cheese I’ve ever had in my life!
Ingredients
Macaroni:
* 8 oz macaroni (elbow pasta)
* 1 tbsp salted butter
Topping:
* 2/3 cup breadcrumbs (Crushed package of favorite croutons)
* Spray of butter-flavored PAM
Sauce:
* 4 tbsp salted butter
* 1/3 cup flour, plain / all-purpose
* 3 cups whole milk, warmed
* 1 package (2 cups) of Real Swiss (Stack slices cut 1/8” cubes) or go all the way with gourmet gruyere
* 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese from pre-shredded package
* 3/4 tsp salt
Seasonings (optional):
* Cajun seasoning to taste
Instructions
Pasta:
* Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook per packet directions MINUS 1 minute.
* Toss in butter: Drain, pour pasta into 9” x 9“ casserole, add butter and toss until coated. Set aside to cool while making the Sauce.
Topping:
* Crush in a large plastic bag or blend (leave some larger pieces, don’t turn into powder.
Sauce:
* Preheat oven to 350°F.
* Make a roux: In the empty pasta, pot melt 4 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
* Add warm milk: Add about 1 cup of the milk and mix to dissolve the paste into the milk. Then add a second cup, keep stirring, add remaining milk and mix until the sauce is lump-free.
Add Seasonings:
Cajun Spice Mix Seasonings and salt.
* Thicken sauce: Cook, stirring/whisking regularly, for 5 – 8 minutes until thickened to a cream consistency. When the Sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, you should be able to draw a path with your finger.
* Add cheese: Remove sauce from stove, add cheese and stir.
* Check salt:
Taste – Adjust salt to taste (Cheeses have salt).
Assembling:
* Assemble: Pour Macaroni (now in the casserole dish) into the sauce mixture. Stir quickly, then pour the combination back into the casserole, baking dish. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb (crushed crouton) topping.
• Spray the breadcrumbs lightly with butter-flavored PAM
* Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Don’t bake too long.
(Adapted from recipe-TIN-eats)
