Baked Mac N' Cheese

The decision to make this dish caused me a lot of grief. Having had some amazing baked mac n' cheese in the past thanks to grandmothers and others, I felt the pressure for this meal to be good. But hey, I've been doing this for a few weeks now so that makes me an expert right? Haha, no.


Trepidation aside, I confidently decided that baked Mac N' Cheese was this week's meal - and I'm glad I did. While this recipe did not quite match Nana's famous dish, I am very proud. My only issue was that it seemed a little too salty (recommendation for improvement included in the directions). 





Overview
Mac N' Cheese is the perfect comfort food. This is something I've been desperately craving as Minneapolis is still providing me with low temperatures below zero (why did I move here again?). I wanted to make something that was filling and delicious, but also a twist on what I'm used to. In fear that it wouldn't be enough, which it was, I also baked a small chicken breast (this is not necessary). 


The pasta was pretty creamy and different from what I've had. I used italian bread crumbs to sprinkle on top. This caused the top to be very salty. I would recommend using your own bread crumbs or even crumbling up some ritz crackers.


Recipe
8 oz. box Macaroni
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1/2 soup can whole milk
8-10 oz shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I shredded almost a whole block)
1 egg, beaten
Breadcrumbs (I recommend 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers)
1 stick of butter/margarine (I used 3/4 a stick)


Directions
Boil the macaroni until just al denté, barely rinse in a colander with cold water, drain. Be careful not to leave the pasta sitting for too long or the noodles will start to stick together and it'll be hard to separate them.

While the macaroni drains, combine the cheddar cheese soup and half a soup can of milk in a saucepan and heat just until bubbly. 

Once the soup/milk mixture is beginning to heat, sprinkle in about half of the shredded cheese and let the mixture melt together. Set the soup/milk mixture to the side to cool off while you beat one egg, crush crackers and melt butter in small saucepan.

Once the soup/milk mixture has cooled some, combine the mixture with the cooked macaroni and the beaten egg in a large bowl. Pour macaroni mixture into a buttered 9x13-inch pan and cover with the remaining shredded cheese. 

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs (or crushed crackers) on top of the cheese and pour the melted butter over the crackers.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven until bubbly (about 20-25 minutes).