Creamy Macaroni and Cheese for Company

I wanted to make a creamy macaroni and cheese for Emily, and found this recipe.

Ingredients:

Macaroni and Cheese:

• 8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound dry mini shells or elbows pasta 
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 115g) unsalted butter, divided (cut 2 Tbps of it into thin pats) 
• 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (720ml) milk
• 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half (I used evaporated milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 5 cups (560g) shredded cheese (maybe 3 cups sharp cheddar, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup Gouda or Swiss)
  

Topping:

• 1/2 cup (45g) Cheez-It cracker
• 1/2 cup (40g) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

 

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package cook time. 
2. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
3. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
4. Drain the pasta, pour into greased pan and stir in 2 Tablespoons of the butter. Set pasta aside.
5. In a large saucepan, melt remaining 6 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. 
6. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste. Cook and whisk the paste for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the milks, salt, ground mustard, and paprika.
7. Bring milk sauce a simmer, then whisk in the cheese until smooth. Remove from heat.
8. Stir the sauce into the buttered pasta.
9. Make the topping by hitting the cheez-its, butter, and cheese together in a food processor until the topping is in panko-sized pieces.
   
10. Sprinkle the bacon over the noodles.
11. Sprinkle the topping over the noodles. Place the pan on top of a cookie sheet to catch any spills.
    
12. Bake for about 20 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. 
14. Leftovers will thicken in the refrigerator - warm up in the microwave with a little milk as needed.
    
    

Carole's Notes:

Doug, Emily, Glenn, and I all really liked this. This recipe makes a lot - and will probably serve 8 or more people. (We sent some of the leftovers home with Emily and Glenn.)

The recipe is adapted from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/