I stole this recipe for Company Special Macaroni & Cheese from a cookbook called Better Homes and Gardens: Our Best Recipes. To make this macaroni and cheese special enough for company, start with using tri-color pasta. A fancier cheese sauce is from scratch using a semi-soft cheese such as Gouda instead of cheddar cheese. Cooked pasta is mixed with the cheese sauce and placed in a casserole dish. Bread crumbs are sprinkled on top and this pasta dish finishes cooking in the oven. I would choose this fancier macaroni and cheese any day!
Shred 8 oz Port du Salut or other semisoft cheese (such as Gouda) and set aside.
Cook 12 oz dried tricolor bow tie pasta, penne, rigatoni and/or other short tubular pasta according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook 2 cloves minced garlic in 1 tbsp melted butter over medium heat for 30 seconds. Stir in 2 tbsp flour.
Add 2 cups milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat.
To the milk mixture, add shredded semi-soft cheese as well as 1 cup shredded American cheese.
Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and 1 tsp dried crushed oregano.
Spoon mixture into an ungreased 1 ½ to 2 quart casserole. Top with ½ cup bread crumbs.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving the Company Special Macaroni & Cheese.
Company Special Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried tricolor bow tie pasta, penne, rigatoni and/or other short tubular pasta (4 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp butter or margarine
- 2 tbsp AP flour
- 2 cups milk
- 8 oz Port du Salut or other semisoft cheese shredded (2 cups)
- 1 cup shredded American cheese 4 oz
- 2 tbsp snipped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano crushed
- ½ cup soft light rye or wheat bread crumbs
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook garlic in hot butter over medium heat for 30 seconds. Stir in flour. Add milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add shredded Port du Salut and American cheeses. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and oregano. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 1 ½ to 2 quart casserole. Top with bread crumbs.
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Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Gouda was substituted for Port du Salut because that cheese was unavailable in my grocery store. Only cook pasta half of the suggested time, the pasta will continue cooking in the oven.