Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Well it turned out great!!! (not to toot my own horn :-) ) I think next time I might add a bit more cayenne pepper, but I wanted to make sure it was Hubby and Kiddo friendly. There are also a couple different ways you can cook it depending on the texture you want from your mac 'n cheese ... see the directions below! If you decide to try this NCD Original, I hope you like it :-)

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

12 oz elbow noodles

2 T butter

1/3 c minced onion

2 T minced garlic

2 T flour

½ c half & half

1 ½ c milk

½ t ground mustard

1/8 t Cayenne Pepper

4 T Laughing Cow Swiss cheese (5 triangles)

1 c shredded sharp cheddar

1 c shredded smoked Gouda

1 ½ c Gouda

1 ½ c Parmesan cheese

½ c bread crumbs

Paprika 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, and continue cooking until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes more. Slowly stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
4. Slowly stir in the half-and-half and milk, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in mustard powder and desired amount of cayenne pepper; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, along with the Laughing Cow cheese, Smoked Gouda, regular Gouda, and Cheddar cheeses; stir until melted. Season with S & P. Then stir in the drained macaroni noodles. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, then breadcrumbs, finally the paprika over the macaroni and cheese mixture.
5. For a "creamer" version, bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes then switch to broil for 5 minutes to crisp the top – OR – for a “dryer” version, bake in preheated oven until bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.