Cheddar Macaroni And Cheese (panera Copycat)

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 12 ounces pasta shells
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 6 -8 ounces grated vermont cheddar cheese
• 1 ounce grated american cheese (optional)
• 1 egg (optional)

Recipe

• 1 boil 2 oz of pasta shells. slightly undercook the pasta. set aside.
• 2 microwave 4 tbs of butter with 8 tbs of flour for two minutes, stirring with a whisk after each minute.
• 3 then slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring with the whisk constantly.
• 4 microwave the entire mixture for several minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce thickens and takes on a matte finish. how many minutes will depend on the power of your microwave. (mine took about 6 minutes).
• 5 add grated vermont cheddar to sauce. the sauce should be hot enough that the cheese will melt as you stir. if not, you may add the cheese then microwave a little more.
• 6 for an extra creamy sauce, pour a small amount of the pre-cheese sauce into a separate bowl, add one egg and beat vigorously, then return the reserved sauce to the original sauce.
• 7 add cheese to taste. i used an entire 8oz block.
• 8 add a dash of grated american cheese (optional).
• 9 combine pasta and sauce, then pour into a well-greased baking pan. the pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so don't worry if the mixture seems more liquid-y than the way you would normally serve pasta. i used a 9 by 9 inches pan.
• 10 bake at 350 degrees covered for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and starting to become golden.