Baked Macaroni and Cheese

What is more "comfort food" than macaroni and cheese?  It is warm, cheesy, gooey and tastes great.  This is an easy recipe with easy to find ingredients.  I like to make this recipe in the summer with BBQ ribs and in the winter with a roast.  This recipe can be made and cooked right away or can be make and frozen before baking for future use.  It doubles easily as well.  Make extra and keep it in the freezer for later.

Ingredients:

1 lb Rotini pasta
6 TBS butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk, heated
1 lb shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
non-stick spray

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 6 minutes.  It will still be firm, but it will keep cooking in the oven.

Cooking the pasta

Strain the pasta and set it aside.

While the pasta water and pasta are cooking, prepare the sauce.

Heat 4 TBS butter in a large pot, until melted.

Melted butter

Add the flour and whisk until smooth, cooking it for 2 minutes. 

Flour added and ready to whisk in

Add the heated milk slowly to the flour and butter mixture, whisking constantly. 

After 2 minutes, ready for the milk

Bring the mixture to a boil.  It will be thick.

All thickened

Remove the pot from the stove.  Add the cheese, leaving out 1/4 cup.  Fully incorporate the cheese.

Cheese added

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and completely cover the pasta with the cheese sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mix into a large casserole dish, sprayed with non-stick spray.

Into the casserole dish

Melt the remaining 2 TBS butter. 

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the macaroni and cheese.

Drizzle the butter over the top of the crumbs.

Place the casserole dish in the oven, covered for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove the lid, add the remaining cheese, and cook for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Remove the dish from the oven.  Serve.