Make perfect pasta at home.

Ingredients-

1 cup(100gm) shell pasta or elbow macaroni, 4 cups water, and  ½ teaspoon salt.

For Mac And Cheese Sauce- 3 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 cups cold milk, ½ tbsp crushed black pepper, 1 to 2 pinch nutmeg powder, 150 gm mozzarella or any cheese, about 1.25 cups of shredded cheese, ⅛ tbsp salt.

For Bread Crumb Mixture- 1 tbsp butter, ⅓ cup breadcrumbs.

Toppings- ⅛ tbsp crushed black pepper, 2-3 tbsp shredded cheese.

Instructions-

Cooking Macaroni Pasta-

1. Boil the elbow pasta as per the pedagogy on the packet till they are soft boiled. First, heat 4 cups of water and add  ½ tsp salt to a quick boil and then add the pasta.
2. Cook them till they are soft boiled or just cooked. They should not get too soft or break. Purify them in a strainer.
3. Now take a baking pan and apply some softened butter.

To Make Bread Crumbs Topping-

1. Melt 1 tsp butter. Then add ⅓ cup breadcrumbs.
2. Stir the breadcrumbs with the melted butter very well. Keep aside.

To Making Sauce For Mac And Cheese-

1. Heat 3 tbsp butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan on a low flame.
2. The butter should heat up well. Then add 2 tbsp all-purpose flour.
3. Using a wire whisk stir the flour quickly as soon as you add it.
4. Keep on swirling so that no lumps are created.
5. You will see the flour frothing and bubbling up while mixing.
6. Sauté the flour till you get a promising simmered aroma from the flour and pale golden colour. Do not brown the flour.
7. Keep the flame to the low and then pour the milk in a relaxed stream. Splash the milk with one hand and swirl the sauce mixture with the other. The milk has to be cooled so that lumps are not created. If you use hot or warm milk or milk at room temperature, lumps can be created.
8. Do stir repeatedly while the milk warms and heats up. The sauce would begin to condense, so do stir frequently.
9. When the sauce has condensed well and covers the back of a spoon, off the flame.
10. Then keep the saucepan down and wait for a minute. Then add 150 gm of shredded cheese. Or use an equal mix of cheddar, mozzarella cheese. You can also use just processed cheese or cheddar cheese or your favourite cheese.
11. Then mix it well so that the cheese melts.
12. The cheese has to melt nicely in the hot white sauce. So now you have is a cheese sauce.
13. Add ⅛ to ¼ tsp crush black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg powder.
14. Add a very little salt. About 2 to 3 pinches. Stir again.

To Make Mac And Cheese-

1. Now put in the pasta in the cheese sauce. mix very well.
2. Here the mac and cheese are Ready. If you want you can serve it.

To Make Baked Mac And Cheese-

1. Pour the mac and cheese in the ready baking pan.
2. Top evenly with the breadcrumbs and melted butter mixture.
3. Now sprinkle 2 -3 tbsp of the shredded cheese on top.
4. Sprinkle some crushed black pepper.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius/390 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 till cheese melts or gets golden. Do an inspection while baking as oven temperatures diversify.
6. After 5 minutes serve the mac and cheese hot.

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