No holiday meal should go without a casserole dish of Baked Macaroni and Cheese! This creamy mac and cheese is loaded with three types of cheese and topped with a crispy panko topping.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of heavy salted water to a boil and cook for about 7 minutes, or until just shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, melt 5 tablespoons of Challenge Salted Butter in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly stream in the milk, continuing to whisk. Once all of the milk is added, cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the milk starts to bubble and the mixture is thickened.
Whisk in the Challenge Cream Cheese until melted. Add in the cheddar cheese and half of the parmesan, one handful at a time, whisking until melted after each addition.
Add in the mustard, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce and pour into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the top.
In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of Challenge Salted Butter over medium heat. Stir in the panko and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until the panko is lightly golden.
Sprinkle the toasted panko over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.