Julie's Famous Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground dry mustard
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces processed cheese food (such as Velveeta®), cubed
• 8 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (5.5 ounce) package seasoned croutons (such as New York Brand® Texas Toast Sea Salt and Pepper)

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the elbow macaroni and cook about 8 minutes until just tender. Drain well.

2. Melt 3/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced yellow onion and cook about 5 minutes, stirring, until soft.

3. Stir in the all-purpose flour, salt, ground black pepper and ground dry mustard. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Gradually whisk in the evaporated milk. Simmer over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

5. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the sharp Cheddar, the cubed processed cheese food and the Colby Jack until smooth. Stir in the cottage cheese.

6. Fold the drained macaroni into the cheese sauce until evenly coated, then spoon everything into a large foil baking dish.

7. Coarsely crush the seasoned croutons. Melt 1/2 cup butter and toss it with the crushed croutons, then scatter the mixture evenly over the top.

8. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.