Mac and Cheese like you've never tasted Before

By milly1362

Ingredients

• For the topping:
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
• 8 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded (I like Gruyere or Alpenzeller)
• 8 oz. Neufchatel or cream cheese, cubed
• 8 oz. smoked Provolone, cubed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 4 c. milk
• A dash or three of hot sauce (optional)
• 16 oz. orecchiete, cooked and drained
• 1 sleeve Saltines, crumbled (I have also used whatever crumbly thing I have on hand, including breadcrumbs, tortilla chips, Triscuits, etc.)
• 3 Tbsp. shredded or grated Parmaggiano
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir with a whisk, constantly, for about a minute. You want the mixture to be smooth, and you want it to have time to reach a golden-brown color.
3. Begin adding the milk slowly, continuing to whisk constantly, until all the milk is incorporated. Settle in for a long, constant whisking process. This has to be done slowly or the milk will scald, so don’t try to turn up the heat and rush this part.
4. In about 15 minutes, maybe 20, the milk should be just below a simmer, steaming but not really bubbling, and the mixture should be thickening. That’s when it’s time to add the cheddar, the Swiss cheese and the Neufchatel. Whisk in the cheese until it has all melted and has incorporated into the sauce. Add some salt and freshly-ground pepper to the mix (about 1 1/2 tsp. of salt, and maybe three grinds with a pepper mill), as well as the hot sauce. (A note on the hot sauce: It will not make your mac-and-cheese spicy, but it will add another background flavor note. Trust me on this…it’s good.)
5. Pour the cheese mixture into the pasta and stir to mix it all up. At this point, add the smoked cheese cubes and mix it into the pasta-cheese sauce mixture.
6. Pour the whole mixture into a greased casserole dish (I use a 9 x 13 stoneware pan for this – this means more surface area for the crunchy goodness on the top.).
7. Mix the Saltines, the Parmaggiano, and the sage in a bowl. Sprinkle the combination evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is brown and the casserole is bubbly.