Mac & Cheese
To quote my mom, this recipe is “restaurant quality”
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins (optional)
Makes 6 servings
Contains dairy
Ingredients
For the pasta
4 cups of pasta noodles (elbow macaroni, shells, fusilli - whatever you like)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
For the cheese sauce
1/3 cup of butter
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
3 cups of 2% milk
1 cup of heavy cream
4 cups of grated cheese (I recommend two different kinds for ultimate flavour)
For the bread crumb topping (optional)
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
4 tbsp of melted butter
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1/4 tbsp of smoked paprika
Instructions
If you want to bake your mac & cheese…
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a large baking dish and set aside
Make the pasta noodles
In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions
Remove from heat, drain, and return to the large cooking pot
Drizzle the macaroni with olive oil and stir, then set aside while preparing the cheese sauce
Make the cheese sauce
Melt butter in a large saucepan or pot
Whisk in flour over medium heat
Gradually stir in the milk and heavy cream
Slowly add the grated cheese and whisk until smooth
Combine the pasta noodles and cheese sauce (if you’re not planning on baking your mac and cheese, you can stop here and enjoy your meal)
Pour mac & cheese into your large baking dish
Make the breadcrumb topping
In a medium-sized bowl, combine panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, melted butter, and paprika
Sprinkle over mac & cheese
Bake for 30 minutes
Enjoy!