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Baked Macaroni and Cheese from scratch!

Sheila
There is nothing better than homemade Mac-n-Cheese and this one is full of creamy cheese and topped with a cheez-it topping that will knock your socks off!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Side Dish, Sides
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 508 kcal

Equipment

  • 6 qt pan
  • 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box of Cellentani or Cavaltoppi noodles any noodle that is curly with a good ridge on it to hang on to all that ooey-gooey cheese
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 clove of garlic finely minced
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup of pepper jack cheese shredded
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup of Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt **taste your cheese sauce before adding it may not need salt
  • 1/2- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 cup of crushed cheddar jack Cheez-its

Instructions
 

  • preheat oven to 375
  • boil noodles in salted water until al dente. DO NOT OVER COOK! Noodles should be firm to the bite.
  • Melt butter in a 6 quart sauce pan. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
  • Add flour and whisk into butter let it get all bubbly and start to brown then add milk gradually whisk well as you add. It will get thick, but you don’t want it too thick. If it gets too thick add more milk a 1/4 cup at a time until it is about at thick as syrup, you want it to coat the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from heat and add your dry mustard and ground pepper, now add your cheese. You don’t want to wait, because you want the sauce hot so it will melt the cheese. If the cheese does not completely melt that’s OK it will in the oven.
  • Taste sauce and add salt if needed. Be careful not to over salt. Cheese sauce will now be quite thick and gooey.
  • Add noodles to the cheese sauce and fold them in.
  • Butter a 9x 13 baking dish generously.
  • Spread your criminally cheesy mac-n-cheese into the pan. Sprinkle the Cheez-its on top.
  • Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and yummy looking!

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 21gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 440mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 138IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 395mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword cheese, homemade, mac-n-cheese
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