My sister has two young boys to feed. As anyone with young children can attest, they can be very picky eaters. This is a favorite of theirs. She sent me this because I also love mac and cheese. This is so tasty (and you can fix it ahead of time too!), so I thought I would share this goodie with you too.

Ingredients:

  • 8 tablespoons (1 whole stick) butter, unsalted
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard (dissolve this in 1 teaspoon water)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 3 1/2 cups milk (don’t use low-fat or skim)
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
  • 1 pound shredded (about 4 cups) Colby cheese
  • 8 ounces shredded (about 2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar cheese
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons wheat bran (Robin’s addition)

Directions:

  • Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and combine with the breadcrumbs. Set aside for now.
  • Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the elbow macaroni. Cook the noodles until almost tender (around 7 minutes). They should still be a little firm to the bite. Drain and set aside for now.
  • In a large pot (the one you just used for the pasta will work great if you dry it out) melt 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When melted add the garlic, mustard mixture, and cayenne. Stir for, at most, 1 minute.
  • Add the flour to the butter and seasoning mixture. Cook for another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and then the broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture is slightly thickened; this should take around 6 or 7 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the cheeses in small batches until completely melted. Add the wheat bran and season with a little black pepper, to taste. You don’t need to add salt as there is a lot of salt in the cheeses.
  • Add the macaroni to the sauce and stir until well combined.
  • Pour into a 9” x 13” baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly around the edges – should take about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

My sister tells me that you can make this ahead of time, just don’t add the breadcrumbs or bake. You can store the pre-baked casserole in the fridge for a couple of days or, carefully wrapped, in the freezer for a couple of months. Just make sure the casserole is up to room temperature before you start to bake it.

Enjoy!