Baked Mac and Cheese
Recipe fits into a 2 quart casserole dish, 1.5 to 2x the recipe for a 9x13 cake pan.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 package of bacon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 tablespoons nice stone ground mustard (I recommend Inglehoffer)
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 large egg
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh black pepper
Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Bake bacon at 400 degrees F on a tinfoil lined baking sheet for about 20-25 minutes. Drain, cool, and chop into bits.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente.
In another pan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about five minutes, making sure it is free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, mustard, paprika and cayenne. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into the casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.