Macaroni and cheese from hot bar a favorite

Q: I would love the recipe for Whole Foods’ macaroni and cheese that they serve on their hot bar and use when catering.

—- Kristi Butler, McDonough

A: Kelli Wyllie of Whole Foods Market/Harry’s Farmers Market provided this scaled-down version of the recipe made in the stores.

“It’s a fairly simple recipe: just cooked pasta and a scratch-made cheese sauce, ” she wrote and noted that each store makes a large batch of sauce and then finishes each pan of pasta as needed, so you may want to adjust the proportions to get just the balance that pleases you.

Whole Foods Market’s Macaroni and Cheese

3/4 pound elbow macaroni

4 cups skim milk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

5 tablespoons cornstarch

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese, divided

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain well, pour into large bowl and set aside.

While macaroni is cooking, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Whisk in mustard, hot sauce and salt.

In a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch and then pour into hot milk mixture. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to very low and stir in 1 1/2 cups cheddar/jack cheese. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Add sauce to cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, mozzarella, Parmesan, paprika and remaining cup cheddar/jack cheese. Toss together thoroughly and sprinkle over sauced macaroni. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered, or until cheese is bubbling. If top starts to brown before mixture is completely hot, cover lightly with foil.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 283 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 15 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 32 milligrams cholesterol, 428 milligrams sodium.