Ruth's Diner - Gramma Claire's Macaroni And Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 2 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Recipe

• 1 cook macaroni, drain do not rinse.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 3 in a large saute pan, saute the onions in butter. add the flour to make a roux and cook for 1 minute. add the milk, bay leaves, paprika, salt and pepper. bring to a simmer, stirring often. mix the 2 cheeses together in a small bowl. once the mixture is at a simmer, add 3 cups of cheese mixture and the cottage cheese. stir well, remove from heat, and remove bay leaves from mixture. add macaroni noodles to milk mixture, mix well.
• 4 pour 1/2 of macaroni mixture into a 2-quart baking dish, cover with 1/2 of the remaining grated cheese, add remaining macaroni mixture and cover with the remaining grated cheese mixture.
• 5 in small bowl mix together the topping ingredients and top the macaroni.
• 6 place into the 350 degree oven and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.