Garlicy Mac and Cheese Casserole... My New Creation?

                                I have found that these are a nice topping for a lot of things...
I was so excited to find this baking dish today. I bought it at Michael's craft store. They had a  50% off sale on their harvest inventory. I bought this lovely orange baking dish for just $4.99! It is a lovely find, a new treasure that I'm excited to own. I love a good bargain! This cleaned up nicely and will be ready to use again on Thanksgiving for my candied yams.

                                          This is a variation on traditional Mac and Cheese. I boiled a package of small elbow macaroni noodles until they were almost soft. About 7-8 min. After boiling them, I rinsed the noodles with cold water.

While the noodles were boiling, I minced probably 4 tablespoons of garlic. I satueed these in 2 teaspoons of butter. Set aside.

Grate 3 cups of your favorite cheese, I used medium cheddar. Sharp could have been more distinct in flavor.
I also assembled my béchamel sauce. This is really easy... In a medium saucepan, heat 4 cups of milk to just a simmer and set aside-

*In heavy bottomed large pot, melt 1 stick of butter. Add 1/2 cup of flour to the melted butter and quickly wisk it. This will make a smooth thick sauce. Add the hot milk and wisk it all together. This will thicken. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the béchamel.

I sprayed my baking dish with cooking spray for easier cleanup later... I poured the noodles into the baking dish, sprinkled granulated garlic and some parsley into the noodles. I folded the sauteed garlic into the noodles to disperse them evenly. Pour your béchamel sauce on top of the noodles. Stir just a bit to incorporate the sauce...

Lastly, I poured about a 1 1/4 cup of these fried onions into a ziplock bag. I took my heavy rolling pin and rolled it over the bag to ground the onions into crumbs. Evenly sprinkle the onions on top of your casserole. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 23 min.  Let your casserole rest about 15-20 min.

Enjoy! We loved this and I will make it again! I may make it again for my Christmas party. Good ole comfort food...

Enjoy!