Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Cook the macaroni al dente according to the instructions on the box. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the cooking stock pot. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to combine. Cook the flour and butter until it forms a paste and is bubbling, 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk a few tablespoons at a time, making sure to fully whisk until smooth. After each addition of milk, cook the mixture until it slightly thickens. Continue whisking and adding milk until all of the milk is used.

Once all the milk is added, bring the mixture to a simmer for 1 minute. Add the dry mustard, ground nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Mix to combine all of the spices into the milk mixture. Then add the cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and cream cheese. Whisk until smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Pour the cheese sauce over the prepared macaroni and stir to combine. The mixture will seem slightly liquid-like. Pour the pasta and sauce into the prepared baking dish.

Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese and mix. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the pasta.

Bake in the preheated oven until the breadcrumbs are golden and the pasta is finished cooking, 17-20 minutes. Allow the dish to cool for 10 minutes before serving.