Mac And Jack And Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb elbow macaroni or 1 lb cavatappi pasta
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese
• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tomato
• 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs or 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup jarred pickled jalapeno pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 2 bring a large pot of water to a boil. add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6-8 minutes. drain well.
• 3 meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it (i sometimes just microwave). melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4 qt.) pot and add the flour. cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. while whisking, add the hot milk a little at a time and cook for a minutes or two more, until thickened and smooth. off the heat, add the pepper jack, cheddar, salt, and pepper. add the cooked macaroni and stir well. pour into a 3 quart baking dish.
• 4 slice the tomato and arrange on top with the jalapenos. melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine butter with bread crumbs, and sprinkle on top. bake 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and macaroni is browned on the top. if you want it more browned, try broiling ti for 2 minutes at the end.