Baked Macaroni and Cheese

By

quickcooker

I have gotten many compliments on my Macaroni and Cheese. Here it is. Have been asked for the recipe alot.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound small elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. onion powder,
24 ounces Sharp Cheddar, shredded (6 cups)

Preheat oven 375 º. Spray a 9x13 inch or 3 quart glass casserole dish with Pam cooking spray or butter the dish.

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Melt butter in large bowl in microwave. Add, flour, salt, pepper and paprika onion powder. Whisk together till smooth. Add milk. Cook in microwave till thickened. Stir often with a whisk. This is your white sauce.

In a bowl temper eggs with white sauce by placing eggs in a bowl. Stir eggs slightly. Add about 1 cup of the hot white sauce to the beaten eggs. Stir with a whisk till incorporated. Add eggs/ white sauce mixture to the rest of the white sauce and whisk. Tempering the eggs with a small amount of white sauce keeps the eggs from being like scrambled eggs when adding only the eggs to the white sauce. Your white sauce is done at this point. It will start to thicken upon sitting.

In a 3 quart (9 x 13 inch) buttered or Pam sprayed glass baking dish, Layer the ingredients in the prepared casserole dish this way:

Half the Macaroni
Half of the white sauce
Half the cheese
Rest of the macaroni
Rest of the white sauce
Rest of cheese

To me it is best layered. I dont like the cheese mixed in the sauce because to me it is grainy.

Bake in a preheated 375 0 oven for about 30 minutes till hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

By jsham (Guest Post)

My Mother made Baked Mac 'n Cheese the same way as tejas recipe except she beat up one egg and added it to the milk before pouring it over the Mac 'n Cheese. She baked in a wood stove so I didn't know the temp. I have made it like this for many years baking in 350° oven until it begins to brown and is slightly crusty around the edges. It is especially good to make enough to have left-overs and leave it sitting out on the counter. Someone always comes along and picks it up in hand and eats it before it has a chance to go bad!