Cheese Sauce Ingredients :
Flour and spices
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
¼ cup of flour
A generous pinch of ground Cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon of salt
2 cups half and half
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
How to do it :
Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper and salt.
In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the ½ butter stick over medium heat. Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth.
Melt the butter
Add flour mixture and stir
Stir until the mixture is smooth.
Add half and half in small amounts, stirring well after each addition to keep the mixture smooth until the 2 cups are added.
Slowly add half and half, stirring well.
Continue stirring while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium heat. The mixture will thicken.
Keep stirring until the mixture boils.
Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
Stir the grated cheese into the mixture.
Add your cooked and drained elbow macaroni to the cheese sauce, stir well and taste the seasoning.
Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce.
Pour into your prepared 9″ x 9″ glass dish.
Macaroni and cheese sauce in glass pan 9″ x 9″.
Topping :
1 ½ tablespoons melted butter
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Mix the panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over your macaroni in the glass pan.
Sprinkle the buttered panko breadcrumbs evenly over the macaroni.
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the mixture bubbles and the top begins to brown.