I also think it would freeze well, all that fat from the cheese, sausage and the dairy helps. I'd probably add the hash browns after the dish thawed and just before baking, but that's just me, I'd want them crunchy and not at all mushy, which would be my fear if they are on top of that casserole . So, if you don't want to do that, I'd assemble and freeze, then thaw in the refrigerator and cook. You'll have to add cooking time because your dish will be cold, not still warm from being freshly made and assembled. Just be sure it's hot in the middle before the broil step and you should be fine. Annie

Weird recipe. I wonder if they're trying to make it be like the box? Cheddar is the most likely to break and turn into oil and grainy solids if overheated and in a number of other faux pas. American has sodium citrate in it which brings the ooey gooey meltiness. You can buy food grade sodium citrate and transform cheddar or any other cheese into something cooperative. Otherwise, having American in the mix helps a lot. I like some Swiss (Emmentaler) which has tang and stretchiness. So, to me, the "normal" way of making mac and cheese is to cook the macaroni to just barely edible--less cooked than al dente and drain well, shaking the colander so the water gets out from inside (I only use elbows or shells if I call it "mac and cheese" rather than "pasta with cheese sauce". Make a roux--not too dark--and add milk, in the normal way to make a white sauce. Season. I prefer dry onion powder to fresh, wet onion for this. Other flavorings as well, but I'll skip those. With the heat on fairly low, slowly add broken up American cheese (preferably deli style, not singles, but singles will work). Once that's settled, add whatever cheeses you're using, and when it's good and melty, add in grated cheese, stirring and letting it incorporate bit by bit. When it's done, fold in the macaroni and let it heat and finish cooking in the sauce, stirring intermittently until it's done. Alternatively, once combined, spread in a casserole dish, top with bread crumb topping or grated cheese and heat until the topping is browned and it's hot all the way through. Another way to keep the cheddar from breaking, especially if you don't have American or sodium citrate, is to make the sauce, add an easier to melt cheese if you have it, or just go with the white sauce, incorporate the macaroni, and when the macaroni is hot and tender, add grated cheddar and keep stirring on the heat just until the cheddar is more or less melted. The macaroni might get a little broken up but the cheddar shouldn't break.

To taste, lol. But really, 2 c cheese is a good start. For tinkering, make your béchamel with just 2 cups of the milk at first, then start incorporating the cheese, adding the last cup of milk as needed to keep it to the sauce consistency you want. Better to thin at the end than end up thickening down with this kind of sauce. And don't be afraid to mix up your cheeses, or just use cheddar too if you like. Leave your sauce a wee bit loose to finish firming and soaking into the pasta if you are baking it. Pound of pasta is standard, fave kinds is up for debate. So are recommended toppings or not, to bake covered or uncovered- and if uncovered, at what point? Or are you going for stovetop? Let your sauce thicken almost for service, and add in your preferred dente pasta, and still let it marry for at least a few minutes. If you want some topping, save it for the plating. If you like add in's make sure they are all fully cooked and just need the stovetop reheating and marry time before service :)

I'm just a random person on the internet and we all have thoughts about others we encounter. But whether it's anonymous people on the internet or friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances in one's life, it's not helpful to base one's attitude toward someone else on the least favorite conversation or conversations you've had with them. Or to find any possible opportunity to be snotty toward one particular person, as some in this thread do. If no conversations are worthwhile, that's different as far as attitude goes but not different as far as being snotty at every opportunity goes. Just my suggestion. "I maintain we all cant live where Elmer lives with every advantage right at our finger tips because it would be too crowded." It is quite crowded where I am but I suspect you may have closer access to places that have "every advantage at our finger tips" than I have. Where I live is very populous but too often has small town/provincial ways and attitudes, and I mean that not in a good sense. It's long seemed that way to me here though it's not an opinion universally shared. There are many reasons why it's so populous here but that doesn't matter. Maybe my recollection is wrong but perhaps the "conversation" you're thinking of related to your saying that because you're in a more rural area, your access to higher speed internet service, cable services, variety of shopping, etc was limited. To something like that, I might have commented that that would never work for me, you said it was fine for you. We can both be happy where we are, places the other wouldn't like.