Recipe

Cheese and Macaroni

The title of this recipe says it all. Sinfully delicious.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup chopped yellow onion (about ½ small onion)
1½ teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of sweet paprika
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces or sliced
4 ounces packaged whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces or sliced
12 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into pieces or sliced
1 cup Panko Crumb Topping (recipe follows), plus more for garnish if desired
Panko Crumb Topping, 2 cups
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
¼ teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and paprika and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute longer. Whisk in the milk, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat. Combine the macaroni with the fresh mozzarella, packaged mozzarella, and twothirds of the cheddar in a multi-cooker. Add the milk mixture and stir to combine.
Close the lid and set the machine to the “slow cook” program for 3 hours. Stir the mixture midway through. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, top the macaroni and cheese with the remaining cheddar and the Panko Crumb Topping and replace the lid. Serve the macaroni and cheese with additional Panko Crumb Topping if desired.

Panko Crumb Topping:

Melt the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the panko crumbs and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are browned and crisp, about 5 minutes.