Baked Mac ‘n Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a medium-sized casserole/baking dish with softened butter and set aside (I use a 9x9x2 dish).

Fill a large stock pot full of water and heat over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the water to help flavor the noodles. Cook according to your package instructions for al dente. When the noodles are al dente (still firm, but mostly cooked), remove from heat and drain. Make sure to not completely cook the noodles, as they will continue to cook when baked. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Mix in the remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, the pepper and the garlic powder.

Slowly add the cream into the mixture, stirring constantly. There will be tiny bits of the flour mixture that remain once the cream is fully combined, but that’s okay. Add the milk and stir to incorporate.

Bring the mixture almost to a boil, then reduce to low and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until thickened.

Sprinkle in 3 cups of the cheddar and 1 cup of the jack and stir well until melted. Cook an additional 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the pot used to cook the noodles), mix the drained noodles with the cheese sauce. Add mixture into the greased baking dish.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup jack cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and golden brown.