Macaroni & Cheese

Here's a classic macaroni and cheese to add to your recipe book.  It's got a great custardy cheese sauce made with a combination of Colby Jack and cheddar cheeses.  It's pictured in a slow cooker because I was taking it to an event a few hours away and I wanted an easy way to reheat it.  The slow cooker did great job: I set it to high for about an hour and a half and it heated it through with no problem (it had been refrigerated overnight).  I was able to cook it in my oven in the slow cooker insert the day before.  Traveled far better than I would have imagined!

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients

Pasta

• 1/2 lb. short pasta
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. powdered mustard
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg, beaten
• 8 oz. Colby Jack, shredded
• 8 oz. cheddar, shredded
• salt & pepper, to taste

• Topping

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup panko

Serves 6 - 8
Cook time: 45 minutes
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Preheat oven to 350.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
In a medium pot, melt the butter and cook onion until softened; whisk in flour, paprika, and mustard and cook until blonde in color, whisking often to keep lumps from forming.  Gradually add milk and simmer, stirring often, until thickened (10-15 minutes).  Remove from heat and temper in egg; stir in all the Colby Jack and half the cheddar cheese.  Then fold in the pasta and pout mixture into a greased casserole dish.  
Top with remaining cheese and cook for 30 minutes.  While casserole is cooking, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small pan and brown panko.  Add panko to casserole about 10 minutes before casserole is finished.  Keep and eye on it so the topping doesn't burn.