JULIE'S FAMOUS MACARONI AND CHEESE

Julie's Famous Macaroni and Cheese image

This is the one holiday dish that's my requirement for admission to all family gatherings. I have perfected this version over many years of practice. I'm guessing on the number of servings, but this recipe fills an extra large foil baking pan for taking to parties. The cottage cheese was my grandma's 'secret' ingredient.

Provided by spiritedcharm

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Recipes Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

Time 1h15m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
¾ cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground dry mustard
1 large yellow onion, minced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
4 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces processed cheese food (such as Velveeta®), cubed
8 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
½ cup butter
1 (5.5 ounce) package seasoned croutons (such as New York Brand® Texas Toast Sea Salt and Pepper)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
Melt 3/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in salt, black pepper, and dry mustard. Add the onion, stir a few times to coat with butter, and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the flour, and mix until smoothly combined with the butter. Gradually pour in the evaporated milk, and whisk until the sauce is thickened and bubbly, about 5 more minutes.
Stirring constantly, mix in the Cheddar cheese, processed cheese, and Colby Jack cheese until the cheeses have melted and incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the cottage cheese. Mix the cheese mixture with the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, then pour into a large foil baking pan.
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large skillet, and toss the seasoned croutons with the butter until thoroughly coated. Press the buttered croutons into the top of the macaroni and cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbly and the croutons have turned golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 601.7 calories, Carbohydrate 44.1 g, Cholesterol 107.9 mg, Fat 37.3 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 23.1 g, SaturatedFat 22.7 g, Sodium 899.5 mg, Sugar 12.2 g