Mac 'n' Cheese

Dan's a HUGE fan of mac n cheese. Although I usually make the the Crack 'n' Cheese recipe from Amazing Ribs, I find that the béchamel sauce requires a lot of work, so I decided to make my own recipe today by meshing together pieces of various recipes that I found online. It turned out to be just as tasty as the Crack 'n' Cheese recipe and half the work!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 of a 500 g package of macaroni or any other pasta noodle
1 onion
1/2 red pepper
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp onion salt
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
4 1/2 cups shredded old cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook your pasta as instructed.

While your pasta is cooking, heat a small pan with a little bit of olive oil and sauté chopped onion and red pepper on medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until they are soft. Also, at any point, you can combine the milk, flour, onion salt, garlic powder, pepper, and 2 tsp of paprika into a jar; shake vigorously for 1 minute (use those muscles!).

Combine drained pasta noodles, milk mixture, and 3 1/2 cups of shredded cheese into a large bowl. Stir until combined, then pour into a 9 x 13" casserole dish.

In a small bowl, stir the soft bread crumbs (I simply made crumbs with 4 slices of whole wheat bread, minus the crust), 1 cup cheddar cheese, and 1 tsp paprika. Using your hands, distribute mixture evenly over the mac 'n' cheese. Pour melted butter on top (this functions to make the bread crumbs and cheese crispy).

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is brown.

Enjoy :)