Baked macaroni with rich Cheddar and Gouda cheeses, finished with a crumb topping.

Who didn’t love Macaroni & Cheese as a kid? Do we every really outgrow that adoration for it? Well, maybe for that kind that comes out of a box.

We grew up and so can the Mac & Cheese!

How to make Baked Mac & Cheese

To begin, you are going to want about 4 cups of grated cheese. Today, I had some Gouda in my fridge that I wanted to use up, so I used half Sharp Cheddar and half Gouda. You could use cheddar & swiss or any combination you choose. Just please use real cheese. We are really trying to move away from blue & yellow boxes here.

Mix your cheeses together and set aside about 1 1/2 cup.

Dice up a small red onion.

While you are cooking the sauce, go ahead and start the water for your pasta.

Heat your oven to 375.

In a saucepan, melt 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) of Butter

Toss in the onions and let them cook in the butter until they are just tender.

When your water is ready, start cooking your pasta. I used Cavatappi, but you can use regular Macaroni or any similar pasta. The great thing about Cavatappi is the little ridges on the noodles that help the sauce coat it well.

When the onions are tender, whisk in 1/4 cup flour

When the mixture is bubbly, whisk in 4 cups of whole milk.

Add in 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

A Bay Leaf

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Some Salt & Pepper – about 1/2 teaspoon each

And finally 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

Continually stir and cook this over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then, remove the pan from the heat, but stir for another minute or so, as you don’t want it to scald on the bottom of the hot pan.

Then, begin stirring in your grated cheese.

Mmmmmmm

When your pasta is done cooking, strain it and pour it into a heat-safe bowl.

When all of your cheese is melted into the sauce (minus the portion you set aside) discard the bay leaf and pour the sauce into the pasta and give it a stir.