Hard and soft at the same time: Giant Mac 'n' Cheese

Pasta may seem like a simple dish to prepare, but getting it just right takes some practice. If you cook it too long, it comes out soft and starchy, and if you don't cook it enough, it can end up hard and chewy. Pasta casseroles can be even more of a challenge: cook them too long or use too little sauce and you end up with a burnt mess. But we've come up with a foolproof plan to prevent this kind of kitchen catastrophe by adding a very special layer to this mac 'n' cheese dish that will keep the top nice and crispy while leaving the pasta and cheese just the way they should be...

You'll need:

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3.5 oz giant macaroni
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups grated cheddar
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• chopped parsley

Here's how:

1. Pour the milk into a pan, add the macaroni, season with salt and  pepper, then bring it to a boil. Make sure to stir frequently to keep the milk from burning.
2. Add 1 2/3 cups of cheese and the tomatoes. Mix until the cheese has melted.
3. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350° F. If you're not using a cast iron pan, put the mix in a casserole dish before placing it in the oven.

Crispy on the top, soft and gooey in the middle — just the way we like it! And if you want to try something really different, try adding some crumbled potato chips to the breadcrumbs for some extra flavor. Enjoy!