#518: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I had a much better picture of this, but realized after dinner was cleaned up that the flash drive was never in the camera when I took the picture.  So sadly, you get a picture of the leftovers. 

I made and froze this meal so we would have a quick dinner to throw together once Matthew arrived.  I cooked my noodles for about 11 minutes so they would still have a bit of a bite to it and hopefully wouldn't get mushy in the freezing/thawing/baking process.  (I'm glad I did that!)  I was also a little worried my family (especially Brian) wouldn't eat this because you can really taste the mustard in it.  However, no one noticed there was mustard in it.  Now, Allison and Chloe were not fans of this.  Brian and I enjoyed it and would eat it again, but we both agreed it wouldn't make a good one dish meal.  It is definitely a better side dish...and the top layer is much better than the bottom layer (which isn't as crispy/crunchy).

1/2 cup butter

5 cups whole milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp dry mustard (I used yellow prepared mustard)

4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack, etc.)

1 lb ziti pasta (I used rigatoni)

bread crumbs

grated Parmesan cheese

Set a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions while making the cheese sauce. Drain and keep warm.

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the salt, pepper and dry mustard. Add in the flour and stir until it becomes a "roux", 2 to 3 minutes.

Heat the milk, but not to boiling, in a saucepan or in the microwave and add to the roux. Continue to heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and quickly add in the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.Put the ziti in a large casserole dish, pour the cheese mixture over the top and stir until all of the pasta is coated with the cheese mixture.

At this point, you can cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

When ready to eat:
If casserole has been frozen, remove from freezer and allow to thaw out.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.