This recipe has my husband’s name written all over it. In fact, he’s the sole reason I’ve made it. Aside for the servings we had for dinner, he ate all the leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside. Cook & drain macaroni according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until done. Drain grease. Season with salt & pepper.

In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Stir in milk & cook for 5-6 minutes; stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in chicken broth. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Fold in macaroni.

Spoon 1/3 of macaroni mixture into casserole dish, top with half of beef, layer with another 1/3 of macaroni mixture, top with remaining beef, add remaining macaroni mixture & top with bread crumbs. Bake uncovered 25 – 30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown.