Lauren's Mac and Cheese

Since I detest and refuse to eat Easy Mac, I've been working on perfecting my own homemade macaroni and cheese recipe for a while. I wanted the baked cheesy goodness my Mom and Grandma can consistently produce but I didn't want to ask for their help, hahaha. If you're interested, my fantastic concoction is below. It was amazing; Ricky and I devoured half of an 11 x 13 baking dish of it by ourselves!

*Note: The picture is not of my macaroni but of the closest replica I could find online (www.countryliving.com). We ate half the pan before I thought about taking a picture. I also want to try these individual baking dishes when I serve it for a dinner party!*

You'll need:

2 cups of rotini pasta

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 egg, scrambled

1 teaspoon diced garlic

3 turns of fresh ground pepper

1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese

1 cup half and half

Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes so that it's not quite al dente. I use the Barilla pasta with extra protein so it takes a little longer to cook. In a large bowl mix the following with a spatula: cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, half and half, butter, garlic, pepper and egg. Add the cooked pasta (drained) to this mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a greased baking dish. Top the mixture with the remaining cheeses including the Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees until the cheese on top is fully melted with small regions of brown crispy cheese on the edges.

Enjoy!