Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Cook Time: 45 min.   Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

½ lb. macaroni

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. mustard

3 cups milk

½ cup onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

½ tsp. paprika

1 egg

12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

Topping:

3 tbsp. butter

1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Slowly mix in the egg. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the macaroni into the mix and pour into a large pan or casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.