Throwing a gathering any time soon? This crowd-pleasing recipe — courtesy of our Nana & Mama writers — is easy to double, and it’s grandkid friendly, too.

Nana’s Homemade Mac and Cheese

Ingredients 

½ pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained

6 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon dry mustard

3 cups milk

½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon paprika

1 egg

12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 cup bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large pot.

Whisk in flour and mustard, and keep stirring, about five minutes, until free of lumps.

Stir in milk gradually, then add onion, bay leaf and paprika.

Simmer 10 minutes; remove bay leaf.

Slowly whisk in the egg, and stir in all but a few ounces of cheese.

Fold in the macaroni and pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish or a 9-by-11-inch pan sprayed with vegetable oil.

Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter and toss in bread crumbs to coat.

Top macaroni with bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 30–35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and rest 5–10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese at foodnetwork.com.