PARMESAN CRUSTED MAC & CHEESE

*Do not use bagged cheese. Buy blocks and sharp cheddar and gruyère and shred it. You don’t want to skip this step!

·        Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease or spray a baking dish. (I recommend a glass 4qt baking dish)

·        Shred the sharp cheddar and gruyère cheese.

·        Boil 1 box of elbow macaroni (if the pasta will be done before the sauce is ready, drain it, place it back in the pot and add a little bit of olive oil. Then set it aside)

·        In a stockpot, melt 6 tbs of butter

·        Mix in 1/3 cup of flour to create a roux

·        Add 2 ½ cups of whole milk and 1 ½ cups of Heavy whipping cream

·        Whisk and mix the flour, milk, and cream until there are no lumps and it is smooth

·        Slowly mix in about 8oz of sharp cheddar and roughly 4 oz of gruyère cheese

·        Cook cheese sauce on a low setting and stir continuously to avoid it burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot

·        Add salt and pepper to taste

·        Pour the cheese mixture into the pot of pasta and stir well

·        In a small plastic bowl, microwave 4-5 tbsp of butter

·        Mix 1 ½ cups of Panko breadcrumbs with melted butter

·        Add ½ of shredded parmesan cheese to Panko mixture and set aside

·        Pour half of the macaroni into a prepped baking dish and sprinkle half of the remaining cheese onto it (I like to mix the shredded cheese into the pasta, but you don’t have to)

·        Pour the remaining macaroni into the baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese

·        Sprinkle and spread the Panko mix on top of the macaroni

·        Sprinkle some paprika on top

·        Place in the oven and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes. You want the top to be golden and bubbly