Macaroni and Cheese - the adult version

The other day I was craving macaroni and cheese, so I tried this recipe from Pure Flavor. I chose gruyere for the cheese sauce, which tasted good, but had a rather strong smell to it. I think the next time I try this, I might try provolone instead of the gruyere in the cheese sauce.

Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

12 ounces pasta
4 cups cheese sauce
2 ounces Cheddar cheese grated (1/2 cup)
2 ounces Gruyere cheese grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp chile powder

Preheat oven to 350F and butter or oil a baking dish.

Cook pasta just until cooked -- it will finish cooking in the oven. Rinse pasta in cool water.

Combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Place into baking dish and sprinkle cheddar and gruyere cheese and chile powder on top.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Original recipe called for chipotle chile powder, which I didn't have. I used a sprinkle of regular chile powder instead. But I think paprika would have been a better choice.

Cheese sauce:

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 cups milk
3 1/2 cups grated semi-hard cheese (I used gruyere and cheddar; other options might be swiss, gouda, emmenthaler, or provolone)
1/2 cup grated semi-soft cheese (I used monterey jack; other options might be colby, fontina, havarta, or mozzarella)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

I didn't put any chile powder in the cheese sauce, relying upon the chile powder I sprinkled over the whole casserole. I also didn't have garlic powder, so I used a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt instead.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue stirring and cook for 2 more minutes. (Will get a bit bubbly, but don't let it sit or it will burn.)

Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. (Add milk in small batches, and make sure it's all stirred in and smooth before adding the next bit of milk -- this would be my mother's instructions to ensure a smooth sauce because no one wants a lumpy sauce!). Cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stir frequently. Then remove from heat.

Add the cheeses, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. (I recommend adding the cheese in batches and letting it melt before adding the next batch.) Stir until cheese is incorporated. Use immediately or refrigerate.

Makes enough sauce for the mac & cheese casserole above.