A Naughty Recipe: Grandma’s Baked Mac n’ Cheeseideo

A Naughty Recipe: Grandma’s Baked Mac n’ Cheese

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta of choice
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half n half
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup gruyere, shredded
1 cup gouda, shredded
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
cayenne to taste

* Preheat oven to 350F and grease a baking dish (9×13”). Set aside.
* Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.
* Shred your cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into 2 piles: 3 cups for the sauce and 3 cups for the layers when baking.
* Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in all of your spices and whisk to combine. Then sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Make sure to whisk for at least 2 minutes to make sure the flour is cooked down. Slowly pour in your milk while whisking constantly, until smooth. Then slowly pour in the half and half while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth. Continue to whisking very often until the sauce has thickened.
* Reduce heat to low and stir in your 3 cups of cheeses a handful at a time. Making sure they melt before adding another handful.
* Pour your pasta into your cheese sauce and combine. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture. Then sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Then broil on high for another 2 minutes until browned and bubbly.