Mac & Cheese

Last Thursday, I tried a new recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese. My mouth was still quite tender and I had some trouble chewing things, so I figured mac and cheese would work well. I found this recipe on RecipeZaar and figured I'd give it a try. When I make homemade mac and cheese (which is pretty rare), I usually use a Giada DeLaurentis recipe, but this one was much easier and I think probably a little less fattening, too. It was good, I'll keep the recipe in my files to make again sometime.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat cavatappi noodles)
1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used light margarine and only about 3 T)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cubed (I used shredded 2% sharp cheddar)
1/8 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (next time I'll leave these off, I think)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook elbow macaroni as directed on package.

While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.

Drain macaroni when done. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce and pour into ungreased 2 quart baking dish.

Mix together bread crumbs and parmesan cheese; sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.
14Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until bubbly.