Creamy & Crunchy Mac and Cheese

Set oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt. This will be your pasta water

Just before the water starts to boil, begin making your cheese sauce in a separate pot:

In a Pyrex measuring cup, measure out 2 cups of milk and put in microwave on high. Heat for four and a half minutes. You want the milk warm and steamy but not boiling hot.

In the separate pot, throw in the butter and melt, watching the heat so it doesn’t burn. Once melted, add in the 3 Tablespoons of flour and whisk together quickly. You want to do this quickly so you end up with a nice smooth consistency, not lumpy and grainy. As soon as the milk is heated, pour it into your butter and flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add in four cups of the shredded cheese and stir well until smooth. Remove from heat and set to the side.

Dump the macaroni into the boiling water and cook through until just “almost” done. Mine took less than 6 minutes to reach this stage. Once done, strain the macaroni and add it to a large mixing bowl. Immediately dump in all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the corn flakes, into the macaroni, and stir well. Add the cheese sauce mix and stir until fully combined.

Pour this into your baking dish and top with the crushed cornflakes, followed by the reserved cup of shredded cheese. Place into your hot oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bubbly and the top has achieved a golden crust.

NOTE: I buy and shred my cheese for this because I think it makes for a creamier sauce. This time I used regular sharp cheddar, but in the past I have mixed it up using half cheddar and half Colby, or Monterey Jack.

Also, if you like more of a crunch on the topping, you can up the crushed corn flakes to 3/4 of a cup.