Your Shopping List for the Baked Macaroni and Cheese:
- 1 pound Cavatappi Pasta
- 1 stick Butter, divided
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 5 cups Whole Milk
- 5 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used Sharp Cheddar)
- 2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- salt and pepper
Now Let's Make the Baked Macaroni and Cheese:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 casserole dish
- In a small bowl, melt 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of butter. Stir panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese into the butter. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each) - set aside
- In a large pot of salted water, cook the Cavatappi Pasta until 3-4 minutes shy of al dente - drain and set aside
- In a separate large pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of butter over medium heat
- Whisk the flour into the butter, then whisk in the salt and pepper (I do about 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper)
- Once the flour/butter mixture is bubbly, add the 5 cups of whole milk, whisking often until mixture has thickened (you will notice that it starts to coat your whisk) and tiny bubbles appear on the surface
- Add the grated cheddar cheese and whisk until completely smooth (I usually add cheese in two batches
- Add the pasta into the cheese mixture - it will seem like there is a lot of cheese sauce and there should be! The pasta will finish cooking in the oven and absorb a lot of the sauce!
- Pour into prepared casserole dish
- Top with breadcrumb mixture
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the edges of the casserole are nice and brown