Baked Mac and Cheese

This is serious comfort food.  With a whole pound of cheddar, it's probably best eaten with the largest spinach salad ever.  I've tried it with other cheeses, like Cabot's Herb Cheddar, but it really is best with the sharpest cheddar you can find.  I use 3 year Cabot Cheddar.

You can check out Smitten's recipe here or use my ever so slightly modified one below.

Easiest Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and  The New York Times, 1/4/06

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
1 cup ricotta cheese (not low fat, this works with cottage cheese too, we use our homemade chevre lately and it's great)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

Heat oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan (it works fine in a 9 by 13 pan too and with all the oils from the cheese, sometimes I forget to grease the pan and it's fine).
Grate cheese in food processor.  It's a lot of cheese!  Dump into really large bowl; you'll mix everything in here.
Use the same food processor to purée ricotta/cottage cheese, a little of the milk, and mustard together.  Add the rest of the milk, then puree again.  Pour into the large bowl over the cheese.  Add in uncooked pasta and mix.  Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover pan, stir gently.  Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.