Smoked Mac and Cheese Bake

My family absolutely loves any homemade mac and cheese, but recently I have added a few different additions to my dish that have turned it up a notch! Without further ado (and without a long story of how this all came to be), here is the newest D'Andrea family favorite mac-n-cheese:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb dried elbow pasta
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Colby cheese, shredded
• 1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 1/2 cups of crumbled Ritz crackers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13"). Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add dried pasta. Cook just until al dente (about 7-9 minutes). Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking.
3. While water is coming to a boil, shred your cheeses and toss them together to mix. Divide into three piles: 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flower and whisk to combine. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking often. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the half-and-half until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining half-and-half and the whole milk while whisking constantly until combined and smooth.
5. Continue to heat over medium heat and whisking often until you achieve a very thick consistency (like a condensed soup). 
6. Remove from heat and stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of cheese, stirring to melt and combine. Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese until completely melted and smooth.
7. In a large bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce stirring to combine completely. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
8. Sprinkle the top with the last of the cheeses and the crumbled Ritz crackers, and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and light golden brown.