Earl Cooks My O' My! Mac & Cheese

Growing up I think I was a pretty good eater. But one thing my mom made that I didn't appreciate was her homemade Mac & Cheese. I don't have a clue why. This was not the kind with powdered cheese from a box, this was one where she would labor to make a nice cheese sauce. Everyone else in the family loved it. I should have too, but not until later in life did I learn to like homemade mac & cheese. It's a bit interesting that my father-in-law loved pasta of all kinds but my wife had few pasta dishes she liked to eat. When my kids were growing up I would make lasagna, a true labor of love which took many hours, but my daughters always seemed to appreciate it. Once I offered to babysit my brothers kids and I took all the fixins' for homemade mac & cheese to make them my mom's recipe and guess what? They told me it wasn't as good as the stuff with powdered cheese. I basically quit trying...until now.

Today I had a special need. I needed to cook something  almost without seasonings because of a problem in my mouth requiring a bland dish. Not only did it turn out delicious, but my non-pasta loving wife liked it so much, she said I could make this anytime. Woo Hoo!

Step 1: Start with macaroni elbows. I used Barilla because they have ridges to hold on to the cheese. Be sure you add LOTS of salt to the boiling water.
Step 2: After Cooking the pasta and draining it, add ¼ pound of butter to the hot pasta and stir while it melts.
Step 3: Add ½ cup of sour cream. I used low fat but use what you like. My recipe does not call for making a roux or a sauce. The sour cream and butter create the base.
Step 4: Add the cheese to your pot. I chose 6 oz. of a shredded  marbled cheddar, which a a blend of white and orange cheddar cheese, and stir it in thoroughly. Transfer the whole mixture into a covered baking dish or casserole,  top with more cheese and top with Panko bread crumbs and place into a preheated oven oven set to  to 350℉  and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 5: After the 20 minutes have passed, remove the cover and bake for 10 minutes more.

This will be our go to Mac & Cheese. My wife wanted some for lunch at work too!