I’ll let you in on a little secret…I love weekends! On the weekend I have more time to cook dishes that use more pans/pots or take more time. That being said, my all time favorite recipe for the weekend is Mac n Cheese. This dish is great on it’s own but also fantastic as a side dish for the holidays. Super flavorful and oh-so cheesy! So if you have a little extra time and love on your hands, I highly encourage you to try this out, its my biggest crowd pleaser yet!

6 servings / 10 mins prep / 40 mins total time

Ingredients

225 g Elbow pasta

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups milk

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp mustard powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

Breadcrumb topping

 1 tbsp butter

Ritz butter crackers (1/2 cup crushed)

Directions

Get a pot of water and bring to a boil.

Once the water is boiling add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

While the oven is preheating, get a skillet and on medium heat melt the butter. Once the butter has melted add the flour and stir until the flour is fully incorporated, has nutty notes, and looks golden brown.

Slowly whisk in milk little by little (this will prevent any lumping from happening), until the mixture is thick.

Once the mixture has thickened (if you run the back of your spoon with a finger it should leave a mark) add in the mustard powder, garlic powder and paprika. Stir until well combined.

Then add the cheese and stir until combined.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and pour into an oven safe dish.

To make the breadcrumb topping, melt the butter and add the crushed ritz butter crackers to the butter and mix until evenly combined. Sprinkle on top of the mac n cheese.

Bake for 20 mins or until top is golden. It will be hard to resist but let it cool for 10 minutes to prevent mouth burns and enjoy!