In summers past, many weekends were spent grilling with the neighbors and enjoying the weather. We would all bring side dishes to share and my usual go-to was a huge bowl of fresh fruit.
But sometimes whatever was being grilled that night called for a side dish of mac & cheese!
After many years of perfecting it, this is by far my most favorite baked mac & cheese recipe. And I don’t use the typical elbow macaroni noodles – the secret here is ditalini noodles!
Ingredients
1 pound of ditalini pasta
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup onion – diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
12 ounces shredded cheddar
Salt & pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°
Cook pasta according to box directions
In a separate pot – melt butter. Whisk in the flour & mustard and stir for about 3 minutes. Add milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove bay leaf.
Temper in egg, stir in about 3/4 of the cheese and season with salt & pepper.
Stir in the noodles, then pour into a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings
I have also added a breadcrumb topping which makes it that much more delicious. Before putting the dish in the oven, melt some butter and toss the breadcrumbs to coat. Top the mac & cheese, then bake as directed.
