Ingredients

• 16 oz (1 lb) of large/casserole elbows or pasta of your choice cooked and drained
• 6 Tbsps butter for the roux
• 6 Tbsps all purpose flour for the roux
• 5 Cups milk (whole recommended)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2-3 tsp of onion powder
• 16 oz (1 lb) of the cheese.
• 1 sleeve of ritz crackers for the topping
• 2 tbsp of butter for the topping

Instructions

The Cheese

I like to use a good sharp cheddar, though you can blend two kinds or whatever you like. I’ve used a cheddar and jack blend, cabot seriously sharp cheddar is good, or a cheddar gruyere blend. 2 - 8 oz blocks is good, though if you use fancy cheese, 3 - 6 oz blocks is also good. 16-20 oz of cheese is best for this recipe.

The Pasta

Boil the pasta as you normally would, but leave it al dente (a little firm) so it doesn’t get to soggy while it bakes.

The Topping

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the crushed Ritz crackers until you have a nice crumbly topping.

The Sauce

Melt the butter on medium-low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, stir in the flour. I like to do it a little at a time, stirring with a rubber scraper making sure the flour doesn’t clump, stick to the bottom, or burn. I often pull the pan off the heat while mixing in the flour and then return to cook a little, repeating until it is all mixed in. Cook the roux until it starts to bubble and turn into a nice golden paste. Add cold milk gradually, switching to a whisk and stirring continuously to make sure it doesn’t burn. I turn up the heat to medium or just above and add milk in batches, heating it up each time. It takes a while, but baby it and stir it consistently. Once the milk has all been added, cook/stir until it starts to thicken. As it gets close to boiling, the sauce will start to thicken. Cook it until it’s just about your dream thickness (it will thicken a little more after adding the cheese and baking). Once it’s thickened, add the cheese and seasoning and cook until everything is nice and creamy and incorporated.

The Bake

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the drained pasta into a large (9x13 or similar) casserole dish and stir in the cheese sauce (add somewhat slowly so you can get the cheese and pasta mixture right). Top with the crumbled Ritz crackers and I like to sprinkle some paprika on top for zazz and color. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crackers are nice and brown and the cheese is good and bubbly.