Three Cheese Pasta Bake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb macaroni noodles or 1 lb other small shell pasta
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups 2% low-fat milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups old cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup swiss gruyere, grated
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and boil, uncovered, until just tender to taste. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Stir with a wooden or non-reactive spoon until mixture has a lightly nutty aroma but no colour, about 5 minutes.
Slowly whisk in milk, then bring entire mixture up to a simmer, whisking constantly. If lumps do occur, strain and return to heat. Add nutmeg and whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cheddar until melted.
Stir in cooked macaroni and spoon into an 8-cup (2 L) baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.