Baked Mac n’ Cheese

I know, I know, I haven’t posted enough desserts to be posting real food yet.. but mac n’ cheese is baked so I figured I’d be able to post it here. 🙂 Nothing beats good ol’ comfort food!

Ingredients:
8 oz Elbow Macaroni
1/4 cup of butter
3 tbsp AP flour
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp black ground pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup of Cheez-It® brand crackers
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:
1.) Cook elbow macaroni for 5 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) In medium saucepan, melt the butter. Blend in flour, mustard, pepper, and salt. Cook mixture until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook and continually stir until mixture boils. Simmer for a minute.
3.) Gradually mix in 3 cups of shredded cheese. Stir over low heat until all the cheese is melted.
4.) Add pasta to melted cheese mix and stir together. Pour into 2 quart greased casserole dish. (I just used an 8×8 pan cause that’s all I had) Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
5.) Crush the 3/4 cup of Cheez-It®’s and spread evenly over the mac and cheese mixture. Sprinkle paprika over the top.
6.) Bake for about 30 minutes.