Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

The weekend is always an excuse to make something indulging. And when it comes to comfort food, you won't have to search too long to come across a Macaroni and Cheese Recipe. Everyone has their own version, method and desired ingredients, and this here is mine. 

Now before you make this, let me tell you what kind of Macaroni and Cheese I like. I want a baked version, where the inside is full of flavorful sauce and the top is crispy and crunchy. And that's exactly what you will get from this recipe.

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The ingredients are:
- 250 gr (8 ounces) macaroni (or other shaped pasta) + 1 tbsp salt for cooking
- 60 gr (4 tbsp) butter
- 30 gr (1/4 cup) flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) milk
- 400 gr (3 cups) Gouda or Cheddar cheese (150 gr/1 cup from that is for the topping)
- 1 tbsp salt for sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F)

2. Cook the macaroni, in salted water, until it's al dente, which means that it's chewy. You want it this way, because it will continue to cook in the oven later. Once cooked, drain the water thoroughly. You don't want any water left that could dilute your sauce.

3. Make the Cheese Sauce. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, then put in the flower and 1 tbsp salt. Add the milk and 250 gr/2 cups cheese and mix until blended. Turn the heat up and cook until the sauce has thickened (usually takes 5 minutes). Stir continuously until the sauce has thickened, you don't want any clumps.

4. Grease your casserole with butter, and mix sauce with cooked macaroni. Spread in the casserole and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

This is a very basic recipe and is a perfect base for all sorts of additions. You can put cooked chicken into the mix, or broccoli and other vegetables. You can even fry some bacon and crumble it into the mixture. 

Do you like macaroni and cheese? What is your way of making it?