Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese

Prepare the oven and dish

Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 3-quart, 9×13-inch baking dish and set it aside.

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the dried elbows and cook them for 1 minute less than the package's al dente time. Drain, then toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.

Divide the cheese

While the water heats, shred the cheddar and Gruyere and toss them together. Divide the mixture into three portions: approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1½ cups for the inner layer and 1½ cups for the topping.

Start the sauce

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour; the mixture should look like wet sand. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking frequently. Slowly whisk in about 2 cups of the half-and-half until smooth, then gradually add the remaining half-and-half and the whole milk, whisking continuously.

Thicken the sauce

Keep the saucepan over medium heat and whisk frequently until the sauce becomes very thick, close to the texture of slightly thinned condensed soup.

Melt in the cheese

Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the salt, pepper, paprika and 1½ cups of the cheese mixture until the cheese melts. Add another 1½ cups of cheese and stir until the sauce is smooth.

Layer the casserole

Stir the drained pasta and cheese sauce together in a large mixing bowl until every piece is coated. Spread half into the prepared dish, scatter 1½ cups of shredded cheese over it, then add the remaining pasta mixture.

Add the topping and bake

Cover the casserole with the final 1½ cups of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the top is lightly golden.