Spicy macaroni and cheese

Tonight, for dinner, I made turkey stuffed peppers, and for a side dish, I made some macaroni and cheese. This could be a great entrée, too. We will have some leftovers of both for during the week, which is great!

I was told this is one of my better incarnations of homemade macaroni and cheese, which is nice to hear considering I didn't use expensive gourmet cheeses this time. I also liked it a lot. I used cheap ingredients, the recipe took less than 30 minutes to make, and it was delicious. Feel free to add more paprika and cayenne pepper at the end of the recipe if you prefer more heat.

Spicy macaroni and cheese

Ingredients (serves 2):

8 oz pasta (I used rotini)
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Boil the pasta and strain according to the package's instructions, and preheat oven to 400°.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux.
3. Whisk in milk until the sauce is smooth and the milk thickens a bit, about 8 minutes.
4. Add Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika, and black pepper. Then add 1 1/4 cup cheese and stir until smooth.
5. Add the pasta into the sauce, and mix together. Then pour the pasta with the sauce into a baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
6. Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes. When finished, put into serving bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp paprika on top.