Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

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1 pound pasta (elbow, cavatappi, etc)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp roasted garlic powder

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

3 cups milk

2 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed (use 3 slices of American cheese if you don’t have Velveeta)

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded

4 ounces your choice of cheese (asiago, pepper jack, etc) shredded

1/2 tsp salt (taste first)

2 more Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs

Method

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1. Prepare pasta, cooking to al dente, in salted water per their instructions. Drain and set aside. Start sauce while pasta is cooking.

2. In large sauce pan over medium low heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Whisk in flour and seasonings and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken. If you are using the larger amount of milk, it will be a loose sauce.

3. Add Velveeta cheese into your sauce and continue stirring until it is all melted. Add in the rest of the cheeses and continue stirring until everything if melted into the sauce. Taste sauce and add salt as needed.

4. Combine cheese sauce and pasta. Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish (or a to-go tin foil if you don’t want any clean up).

5. Combine 2 Tbsp melted butter and Panko crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Crumbs should be brown and cheese sauce bubbly.

6. There are lots of ways to personalize this. One of our favorites is to add in 1/2 pickled jalapeños that you have chopped up. You can also try some bacon, or broccoli; have fun.