Three Cheese Pasta Bake

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb macaroni noodles or 1 lb other small shell pasta
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups 2% low-fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups old cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup swiss gruyere, grated
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

Recipe

• 1 bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. add macaroni and boil, uncovered, until just tender to taste. drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 f (180 c).
• 3 in a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. stir with a wooden or non-reactive spoon until mixture has a lightly nutty aroma but no colour, about 5 minutes.
• 4 slowly whisk in milk, then bring entire mixture up to a simmer, whisking constantly. if lumps do occur, strain and return to heat. add nutmeg and whisk in cream cheese until smooth. reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cheddar until melted.
• 5 stir in cooked macaroni and spoon into an 8-cup (2 l) baking dish. sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.
• 6 cool for 10 minutes before serving.