Homestyle Mac & Cheese

I have a love/hate relationship with Mac and Cheese. I love the homemade stuff, but I am not keen on the packaged stuff made with fluorescent yellow powder, and even homemade, I get a bit put off by stuff like velveta and cheese whiz being included in the recipe (even though I know they help with the consistency). I found this recipe surfing the web the other day, and was pleased to see it was someone out of Calgary trying to recreate a favorite dish off of a local restaurant down there. Maybe next time I head south I can stop in and compare for myself. Either way, I know it tasted great, and the Oka cheese and whole grain mustard made it feel a little gourmet. What is better than comfort food with a gourmet twist!?!?

I halved this recipe and it fed two people quite generously:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan grated
2cups milk
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
250g Oka grated (I found Oka at Superstore in the cooling bin with the goat cheese and brie)
280g old cheddar (3yr or older) grated
ground black pepper
500g fusilli or macaroni

Preheat oven to 400F. Boil water and cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan and add flour to make a roux, then gradually whisk in the milk. Add mustard, Oka, cheddar and pepper to taste.

Mix pasta and cheese sauce and pour into oven proof dish. Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the pasta mixture, bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes (less time for a runnier sauce).
I loved this dish, and it is so quick and easy to make. I think it would even be a fun starter for a dinner party if you made little individual servings in ramekins. I used more breadcrumbs than the recipe call for just because I like having a good crunchy crust to go with the creaminess of the cheese and pasta.