Chez Starz

My daughter and I came home tired and hungry from a day of traveling home from Canada a few weeks back, and we opened the fridge and found this delicious baked mac n’ cheese inside; comfort food was just what we needed. My oldest child found this recipe at momontimeout.com and made a couple of changes.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 6 TBS unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded (they used cheddar in place of Gruyère)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
• 4 TBS butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3-4 quart baking dish. Combine shredded cheese in a large bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta 1 minute, or until al dente. Drain and place in a large bowl. Drizzle pasta with olive oil. Set aside to cool.

Melt butter in a deep saucepan, Dutch oven, or stockpot. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking for 1 minute, until bubbly and golden. Gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream until smooth. Whisk until bubbles form on the surface and then whisk for an additional 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth and thick. Add 2 more cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth and thick.

Stir in the cooled pasta and coat fully with the cheese sauce. Pour half of the pasta into a baking dish, top with the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese, and then add the remaining pasta on top.

In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and paprika. Sprinkle this mixture over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.