Homemade Mac & Cheese

I needed the basic recipe for this, but made it with what was in my house already. I didn't want to spend nearly $10 on Gruyere cheese when I had blocks of extra-sharp cheddar and mozzarella waiting to be used up. I'm pretty sure macaroni & cheese can be made with whatever cheese you want! Here's what I did, using Ina Garten's technique for amounts of milk, etc.

4 C milk

1/2 C flour

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter

6 C shredded cheese (I used extra-sharp cheddar, mozzarella and some jack)

Salt and pepper

1lb elbow macaroni

3/4 C panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook pasta in 6 cups boiling, salted water until al dente, 6-8 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, heat the milk on the stove, but do not boil.

In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the warm milk and continue whisking until smooth and thick, about 3 minutes more. Off the heat, add the cheese, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper. Add pasta and mix well. Pour into 9X13 baking dish. Top with remaining butter mixed with panko bread crumbs. (I estimated this amount...I just melted the butter and added the bread crumbs until it looked good!) Bake in a preheated oven 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and topping is browned.