Macaroni and cheese has to be considered the number one comfort food of all time. It has those carbs that give you a full, satisfied feeling that almost puts you in a stupor. Plus it has cheese – glorious cheese! Whenever I feel the need to comfort myself with food after a long, trying day, macaroni and cheese is my go-to dish.

Although it is rather humble, as food goes, you can dress it up and make it worthy of dinner guests by adding meats, such as crab or even lobster. You can enhance it further by adding asparagus tips, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Served with garlic bread and a nice white wine, it will impress your guests.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cellentani pasta (may substitute rigatoni, penne or macaroni)

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 tsp EACH onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

4 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

6-8 slices provolone cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Panko Topping (optional)

¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta just until al dente according to package directions – don’t overcook! Strain and rinse with cold water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat then whisk in flour. Cook, while stirring for 2 minutes. Turn heat to low then gradually whisk in milk. Whisk cornstarch into evaporated milk and gradually add to skillet followed by Dijon mustard and all remaining spices/seasonings.

Bring to a boil, whisking constantly then reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened (but not overly thick). Remove from heat and whisk in sharp cheese until melted. Add pasta and toss until evenly coated (it will seem like a lot of extra sauce which is a good thing).

Pour half of the macaroni and cheese into prepared baking dish. Layer macaroni evenly with provolone cheese followed by an even layer of sour cream. Pour remaining macaroni and cheese over sour cream and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan cheese (or more to taste).

Panko topping (optional): Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add panko and stir to coat. Continue cooking until crumbs become golden brown. Evenly sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and inside provolone is melted. If not topping with panko, broil until Parmesan is golden. Cool 10 minutes to set before serving.

 

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Quick Tip:  To make this ahead of when you plan to serve it, DO NOT assemble it! Make your pasta, drain it and stir in a tablespoon of olive oil, mixing to coat so it doesn’t clump together. Then make the sauce and refrigerate it separately from the pasta. Assembling and refrigerating it causes the pasta to soak up all the sauce, resulting in a dry casserole. On serving day, warm the sauce in the microwave, adding milk to thin, as necessary. Then proceed to follow the recipe directions, starting in Step 4, where you combine pasta and sauce.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Jen at carlsbadcravings.com