Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese has always been a favorite of mine. I'm still tweaking this recipe, but this is a good start. You can see in the final product picture that it isn't the creamy cheese sauce type. Depending on what kinds of cheese I have in the frig when I make this, I'll change it up a little. You could use just cheddar cheese, but I like a combination of flavors.

Sometimes I'll pair this with grilled keilbasa or baked chicken. Sometimes we will make it the main dish for lunch with a side of fruit, vegetables or Jell-O salad.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

3/4 lb elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack / Colby

4-6 slices Swiss cheese

2 Tbs butter

1/2 cup milk *

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dash of salt and pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish (or 7x11 casserole dish).

2. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. Melt butter and heat milk in pan pasta was cooked in. Pour pasta back in to the pan. Add Cheddar and Monterrey Jack / Colby cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder.

* add more milk to make creamier

4. Spoon half of mixture into prepared dish. Place Swiss cheese in a single layer. Add remainder of mixture. If desired, sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Serves: 6-8

This recipe can easily be adjusted for a 9x13 pan: 1 lb elbow macaroni, 2 cups each Cheddar and Monterry Jack / Colby, 6-8 sliced Swiss cheese, 3 Tbs butter, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 tsp + garlic powder. Cooking time remains same. Serves: 8-10

PS: Forgot to mention . . . obviously you don't need to use sliced Swiss cheese . . . I just have a half a package left from making the "Creamy Swiss Chicken" I posted last month. You can find shredded Swiss cheese in the grocery store and add it in to melt with the other cheeses rather than layering.