I love casseroles. I really really love casseroles. I wish I could make them year-round, but turning on the oven in the summer is just not going to happen. But at this time of the year - well, there's nothing better.
Macaroni and cheese is a favorite. The real kind, not the kind my kids would really prefer me to make. It's easy and yummy and you get plenty of leftovers, too. So here we go:
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook a box's worth of elbow macaroni and cut up a crown's worth of broccoli.
- Melt about 2 tbsp of butter in a medium-sized pan. Add an equal amount of flour and stir stir stir. It will get really thick, and it will want very much to burn, so keep stirring.
- After about 5 minutes, or once the color had darkened a bit, add 2 cups of milk and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. (Like how I say "to taste" because I don't really know how much I add?)
- Bring to a boil, still stirring to blend in all the lumps.
- Turn off the heat and add a package's worth of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir some more until it's all melted.
- In a 13 x 9 pan, pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and broccoli, mixing everything in well. Top with bread crumbs and some olive oil.
- Bake it for about 40 minutes until the top is browned and crunchy-looking. Enjoy!
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