Conventional Macaroni and Cheese

We're in the midst of getting A ready for school tomorrow, so I wanted dinner to be something easy to prepare and that she would eat well to gather strength for the long day tomorrow! The old stand-by? Conventional Macaroni and Cheese. I don't make it often, since all of us here prefer my Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce, but it takes longer to prepare and I don't always have the right ingredients on hand. I ALWAYS have elbows, milk, cheese, and bread crumbs. Most people do, and it tastes a heck of a lot better than something out of a box. Note: To make the creamiest sauce with less clumping, bring your milk, cheese, and butter to room temperature before cooking.

There's a lot of "white" in this sauce, so it pairs well with spinach for those of you looking to add more color to each meal.

You need:

1lb. elbow macaroni
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
3 tsp. salt (plus extra to salt the pasta water before cooking the elbows)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all purpose flour
6 c. whole milk
3 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a casserole dish. Cook macaroni until almost tender but still firm, as it will continue to cook when baking. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, bread crumbs, oil, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook for 3 minutes. The mixture will clump together, so don't fear you've done something wrong here. Still stirring, add the milk SLOWLY, and cook for 7 minutes more. Add the cheese and remaining salt, and cook for 5 minutes more until thick and creamy. Add the macaroni and combine. Transfer to your casserole dish, top with bread crumb mixture, and bake for 25 minutes.