Baked Mac & Cheese W/ Gouda

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 3 cups milk, any
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated, about 1 cup
• 4 ounces american cheese, sliced, about 6-8 slices
• 2 ounces gouda cheese, coarsely grated, about 1/2 cup
• nonstick cooking spray

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 bring a large pot of water to a boil. spray a shallow 8x8 baking dish; set aside.
• 3 generously salt boiling water; add pasta. cook, according to package instructions, until 2 minutes short of al dente.
• 4 drain pasta, rinse with cold water, drain and return to pot.
• 5 while pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium. whisk in seasonings; then whisk in flour to form a thick paste.
• 6 slowly whisk in milk. bring to a low boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. remove from heat.
• 7 to baking dish, layering:.
• 8 add 1/2 of cooked macaroni. add 1/2 of sauce, 1/2 of each cheese. repeat and top with cheeses.
• 9 can be made several hours in advance, covered and refrigerated until time to bake.
• 10 bake covered for 15-20 minutes.
• 11 uncover and bake until topping is golden and sauce is bubbling, an additional 15-20 minutes.
• 12 *if refrigerated, additional time may be needed until it is bubbly and slightly browned.
• 13 cool 5 minutes before serving.
• 14 *notes: i use a packet of g. washington golden seasoning instead of salt & pepper. if you can find it, it is a great universal seasoning for sauces.
• 15 april 2012, edit to add: if doubling this recipe, use only 5 tablespoons of flour and 6 cups of milk. if you do not, you run the risk of a not so creamy and somewhat dry end result. at times i have added a bit more milk than recommended because the under cooked macaroni will absorb some of the milk. imo a little creamier is better than too dry.