EASY BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Filed under Main Dishes
Ingredients
1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni or shell pasta
8 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups heavy cream or half and half, warm
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese,
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese,
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.  Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl and toss with melted butter.  Stir in cream.  Add shredded cheese and Velveeta and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour pasta mixture into a greased, 9x13 baking dish (cheeses will not be melted yet).  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir into the breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Let's Dish
I originally posted this recipe a few years ago, but I've made some minor changes since then and wanted to share it again.  I've tried a lot of different recipes and methods for homemade mac and cheese and I finally came up with this.  It's almost as easy as mac and cheese from a box, and much tastier!  We like to make this with shell pasta, because all that cheesy goodness gets trapped inside the noodles. Don't worry that your cheese aren't melted and smooth when you first mix things together.  Everything will come together in the oven.  As an alternative to baking, you could mix everything up in a large saucepan until the cheese is melted and creamy. You can also substitute extra cheese for the breadcrumb topping.  My whole family loves this stuff.  It's easy and it's cheesy.  What more could you ask for?

Who Dished It Up First
This is an original recipe.

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