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I don't know why I waited so long to make homemade Mac N Cheese.  Maybe it was because my mom never made it.  Maybe it was because homemade versions seemed so complicated.  Maybe it was because I was scared of not being able to impress my boys who love the boxed stuff. 

Leave it to the Big Game Day to inspire me to finally make it from scratch.  Finding a recipe that used uncooked pasta certainly helped take the stress away.  I was skeptical, but this turned out AMAZING.  Creamy, cheesy, flavorful!  I did add a little Cajun-dusted breadcrumbs on top to give it a little zing.  Lets just say my kids came back for more than seconds... how about fourths!  They never did that with the boxed stuff!   

Creamy Mac N Cheese

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
• 2 cups milk (not skim)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz White Extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 oz Yellow Extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. In a large bowl, combine all but 1/4 cup of the grated cheese (save that to sprinkle on top later), milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with the reserved 14 cup of cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

See you Wednesday night for a 4 HOUR In The Kitchen With David!!!  Get a head start on our Copper Chef TSV HERE:

Enjoy!

Stacey