Homemade Creamy Mac n’ Cheese

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) with rack in the centre of the oven. Oil or butter an baking dish, an cast-iron skillet or individual baking dishes. Set aside for later.

Cook Macaroni

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a generous sprinkling of salt to the pot and add the pasta. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package, or to just al dente. 

  Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking further. While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, you can start your cheese sauce.

Make the Cheese Sauce

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk together to make a roux. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

  Chef's note: This will form the base of your sauce and thicken it. So simple! It's important to cook it through and make sure there are no lumps.
• Slowly add in milk, about 1/2 cup at a time. Whisk constantly to combine. Once all the milk has been added, keep cooking and stirring frequently until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes.

  Chef's note: At this stage, you've just made a Béchamel. Béchamel sauce is one of the "mother sauces" of French cuisine. This sauce is traditionally made from a white roux and milk, with ground nutmeg to enhance the flavour.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the both cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes.

  If the cheese isn't completely melted after about 3 minutes, you can put the pan back on low heat and stir until it is melted.

  The sauce thickens when cooking.
• Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the cheese sauce and mix gently. Spoon or ladle the mixture into a prepared baking dish or individual dishes.

Add the Topping and Bake

• Mix together the Panko Breadcrumbs with melted butter and parmesan. Sprinkle each with the topping ingredients and scatter over-top.
• Freeze for later: At this stage (before cooking in the oven), you can place the Mac n' Cheese into individual freezer-safe containers. When ready to cook, you can bring to a thaw in the fridge or cook straight from the freezer at 325F for 45 minutes. For extra crispy tops, broil for the last 3-5 minutes.

Bake and enjoy!

• Bake at 350F (175C) uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce has bubbled up around the edges and the top has a nice golden crust. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.