Baked Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese for the masses. This is a hell of a lot of mac and cheese so make some friends before you dive in. Or, you know, quarter the recipe.  It pretty rich and definitely not good for you, but the best things in life rarely are.

This was my first time making mac and cheese from scratch so I took the easy route.  There was no stove top work done and I only had a blender and bowl to clean.  I highly recommend the disposable tin as moving is hard after consuming so much cheese.

Baked Mac and Cheese
Fills one of those big disposable tins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups cottage cheese (not low fat)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• pinch cayenne
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 pound elbow pasta, uncooked

Heat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in upper third of oven. Use 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the baking dish.  I used a big disposable tin so I could leave it at a party.

In a blender, puree cottage cheese, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Once that is smooth, add the milk and blend until mixed.

Reserve 1/2 cup of cheese, then mix the rest of the cheese, uncooked pasta, and cottage cheese mixture in a very large bowl. Pour into baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and gently stir. Spread the reserved cheese over the top and dot with the remaining two tablespoons of butter.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until browned.  Let cool until it won't burn your face off and eat.