Serves 10

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% cold milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 ounces grated Parmesan, about 1 cup
3 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 cup
1.5 ounces blue cheese, such as gorgonzola
1/4 cup Panko or toasted breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and undercook by two minutes. For example, if package instructions say to cook pasta 7 minutes, only cook it 5. Drain pasta and return to pot. Cover and keep warm.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle over flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Slowly whisk in milk. Add nutmeg a pinch of salt and a generous pinch of ground pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until béchamel starts to thicken, stirring often, especially around corners, about 5 minutes. Add all cheeses and stir until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix well. Pour mixture into an 8x8 baking dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs over top. Bake in oven 7 to 10 minutes until macaroni is hot. If desired broil 1 – 2 minutes to brown top. Serve hot.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 315; total fat: 11g; cholesterol: 31mg; sodium (not including additional seasoning): 256mg; carbohydrate: 41g; total dietary fiber: 2g; protein: 14g

Nutritional information per serving of processed version:
Calories: 410; total fat: 19g; cholesterol: 15mg; sodium: 710mg; carbohydrate: 48g; total dietary fiber: 1g; protein: 9g



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