Baked Creamy Mac & Cheese
by Mikey
Melissa Dixon Sparks
Ingredients-
1 lb. dried elbow pasta
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk 2 1/2 cups half and half
4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided (measured after shredding)
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
Directions -
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13"). Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles. Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Mixture will look like very wet sand. Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often. Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.thenBake
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
