Stovetop Mac And Cheese With Crispy Panko Crumbs Recipe

Panko makes the most delicious topping when it is toasted first. Just sprinkle on this creamy mac and cheese stovetop dish. A delicious weekday meal.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

8 ounces elbow macaroni (2 ounces per serving)

Sauce
2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Toasted Panko Topping
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
3 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

With this dish, time it so the pasta is cooked at the same time as the sauce. You should toast the panko first so it is ready when the mac and cheese are.

Pasta:

To cook pasta, fill a medium size pot 2/3 of the way with hot tap water. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and stir with a wooden spoon to be sure noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Always make sure there is lots of water in the pot when cooking any pasta so the pasta has room to roll around while it is cooking.

Turn the heat down, enough to maintain a boil and stir every so often to prevent noodles sticking. Do not cover the pot. After 8-10 minutes, take a piece of pasta out of the water, allow it to cool and do a test for doneness.

Bite into the pasta. If it is too hard to bite or you see a white center, it needs to cook a little longer. Cook 10-12 minutes or until done.

Put the pasta into a strainer. Shake out excess water and put the pot back onto a cool part of the stove.

Sauce

In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup milk and the flour in a saucepan; stir with a whisk to combine.

Stir in the remaining milk and salt and bring to a boil, stirring as needed so it does not scorch. Once it boils turn down to low and stir in the cheese and salt until the cheese melts. Pour over the cooked pasta.

Serve with the toasted Panko sprinkled on top.

Toasted Panko

In a skillet, using medium heat add the panko and olive oil and mix together. Cook and stir until golden brown. Shut off.

Watch you do not burn them! This process only take a couple of minutes.