Mac and cheese to die for!!

This is a thick and cheesy Mac and cheese that is better than Kraft Mac and cheese (which is hard to say) because I love that stuff!

First things first bring 1 cup of macaroni noodles to a boil for about 6 - 8 minutes, drain and put back in the saucepan.

Cheese sauce ingredients

¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)

¼ cup of flour

A generous pinch of ground cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Mix together the flour, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.

In a 3 ½ quart saucepan melt the ½ stick of butter over medium heat.  Add in the flour mixture and stir until it is smooth

Melt butter, add flour mixture and stir until smooth.

Add the half and half in small amounts, stirring well after each addition to keep the mixture smooth until all 2 cups are added.

Directions:

Keep stirring while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium heat. The mixture will thicken (about 2 or 3 mins).

Reduce the heat to low and stir for about another 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add in the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Add your cooked, drained elbow macaroni to the cheese sauce, stir well and taste for seasoning.

Now you can either be done here if you don't like bread crumbs on your macaroni, but if you do:

Pour macaroni into a greased 9 x 9" glass pan.

Topping:

1 1/2 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs

Stir the panko bread crumbs into the melted butter. Sprinkle your topping mixture on top of the macaroni in the glass pan.

Bake in a 400 degrees oven for about 20 minutes until it is bubbly and the top begins to brown.

And SERVE!!!!

I love to pair this dish with spam 😋.

I'd love to know what you guys think of this recipe!! It's a staple dish in my house.