Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese

The recipe calls for smoked Gouda, but your favorite regular or smoked cheese will work just fine.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 37 minutes
Stand: 5 minutes
Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  pound  uncooked cellentani pasta
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 3  tablespoons  flour
• 1  cup  milk
• 1  (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
• 2  cups  (8 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1  (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper, divided
• 1  (8-oz.) package chopped cooked, smoked ham
• 2  cups  cornflakes cereal, crushed
• 2  tablespoons  butter, melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cellentani pasta according to package directions. Transfer hot pasta to a large bowl.

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and evaporated milk; cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Gouda, cream cheese, salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in chopped ham.

3. Combine pasta and Gouda cheese mixture, and pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Stir together 2 cups crushed cereal, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, and remaining 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper; sprinkle over pasta mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Barilla Cellentani Pasta.