Baked Macaroni

When I made this the other day, Aerro boldly proclaimed, "Mom..you can make this every day for me, ok?" With it being so easy, I might consider once a week =). This was the first time I froze and re-baked macaroni and with this recipe, it worked great! The sauce is pretty soupy before you bake it, but once it's baked (or frozen and baked) it ends up being perfect. Not dry at all. 

Baked Macaroni

1 box whole grain pasta noodles

1/2 c butter

1/2 c flour

5 cups milk (I always use whole)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Melt butter in a large saucepan on med-high and add flour whisking until fully combined. Add milk and whisk constantly until it boils. Reduce to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cheddar, salt, and pepper. While sauce is simmering, boil noodles 1 minute under the recommended "done" time. Drain noodles and stir in cheese sauce. Pour in buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake on 400 for 10-15 minutes. 

To freeze: pour into buttered foil pan. Allow to reach room temp in fridge. Seal well. I use foil and then a few layers of saran wrap. Freeze. The day you make: take out of freezer in the morning and allow to thaw in fridge. Bake on 400, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and let bake until heated through (about 5-10 more minutes)