Perfect Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

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I hate to grocery shop, I really do. The late Mr. O-P used to love it, so he was the one who bought all of the groceries. That is but one of the things I miss ever since he passed away. As a consequence, I tend to order a lot of pantry staples online. It’s quick, it’s convenient, and I don’t have to leave the house. It is not without its issues, however. I tend to order more quickly than I should, scanning, rather than thoroughly reading the descriptions, when I do. I needed spaghetti and rigatoni. What I didn’t need was eight packages of spaghetti and four of rigatoni. I managed to fob off a number of them to my son, and now I am planning quite a few pasta dishes in the coming months. Fortunately, pasta is very versatile, and used in any number of cuisines, so I don’t have to worry about getting tired of it.

This recipe, from the Canadian blog Seasons and Suppers, calls for elbow pasta. Because I had only a small amount of that, and oodles of rigatoni, I made the substitution. Frankly, I think I like it better. 

Perfect Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. dry rigatoni

Cheese Sauce:

¼ c. butter

1/3 c. flour

3 c. whole milk

7 oz. aged white crumbly cheddar, crumbled

3 oz. orange sharp cheddar, crumbled

½ t. kosher salt

¼ t. regular chili powder

1/8 t. garlic powder

Topping:

½ oz. aged cheddar, grated

¼ t. chipotle chili powder

Add water and a bit of salt to a large pot and place over high heat for the pasta. While it's heating, prepare the cheese sauce.

For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to whisk and cook for about 2 minutes.

Very slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Once all the milk has been added, cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cheese, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Set aside for a minute.

Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in the center of the oven. Oil or butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

When the pasta water is boiling, add the macaroni and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate. When the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately rinse well with cold water.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix gently, but thoroughly. Spoon or ladle the mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a bit of additional grated sharp cheddar cheese; sprinkle with chipotle chili powder.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce has bubbled up around the edges and the top has a nice golden crust.

Let stand for a few minutes before serving.