Author: [email protected]

Hi friends! The hubs made this Ina Garten Mac and Cheese recipe a couple of months ago. This is one our favorite pasta recipes ( so decadent). Mac and Cheese is such a comfort food. We skipped the tomato part because I personally don’t like fresh tomatoes, but we did add bacon to our dish. I got the recipe from foodnetwork.com!

Ingredients:

kosher salt

vegetable oil

1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi

1 quart milk

1 stick of unsalted butter,divided

1/2 cup all purpose flour

12 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)

8 ounce extra sharp Cheddar,grated (2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) * we skipped this part of the recipe

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crust removed)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni/cavatappi and cook according to the directions on the package, 6-8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the gruyere,cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt,pepper,nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3 quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top (*we skipped this part). Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter,combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.