"Adult" Macaroni and Cheese

This might be one of the B-E-S-T things that I've ever made, seriously, I know that I can be dramatic, but this is not one of those times. This recipe ROCKS!!! Also, the only reason that I added the "Adult" is because it has some veggies, and meat. This is satisfying and something you can freely indulge in!!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter (I always use the reduced or low-fat butter)
1/2 Yellow onion minced (minced = finely chopped)
2 Tbsp flour
3c. Milk (I used non-fat milk)
2c Shredded Cheddar (again, I used the 2% cheese)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1lb elbow macaroni, or some sort of pasta shells
1/4c pickled jalapenos (you can find these canned and pickled already for you in the store)
2 oz Ham or Proscuitto ( I used reduced sodium ham, and to save money I bought it in a small 2 oz package, yes they do exist)
1/2c Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4c Parmesan

Extras:
I added broccoli, but if you really want to dress it up you can also add in some cherry tomatoes, some grilled chicken, and mushrooms.

Directions:
Preheat the oven at 375.

Cook your pasta as you normally would in a large pot. While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan, again you want large, add the butter and the onion, cook the onion until its translucent and then add in the flour. Once the flour is fully incorporated into the butter and onion slowly add in the milk. I highly recommend adding the milk in a little at a time, after every time stirring the milk with a fork to avoid the four clumping. Note your pasta should be close to done, once it is fully cooked then pour into a large, a very large bowl. After all of the milk is added let it simmer about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce is thicker then add in the cheese and stir until melted. Add the ham, jalapenos and anything else that you want to add into the bowl with the pasta along with the cheese mix. Make sure that all ingredients are completely mixed together then add into a greased pan. After the pasta is dumped into the pan sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan on top.

Bake for 10 minutes and then broil for 2-3 minutes. The only thing left to do is enjoy or if you're like me throw on some hot sauce and then enjoy!!

This recipe makes 6 servings and has 480 cals and 9g fat compared to the Cheese Cake Factory mac and cheese that has 1462 cals and 45g of fat!! So once again my friends dive in and Feast On!!

This was taken from the book Cook This Not That