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Because it's better when you make it yourself! I've adapted this recipe from several different ones.

I love this recipe because it is tasty, cost-effective, and not totally fucking exhausting.

You will need:

--1/2 pat of butter (more if you want to make it rich, less if you don't)
--1 cup milk
--A lot of shredded cheese (take your pick), probably more than you think you'll use
--3/4 package of "short" pasta such as macaroni, fusilli (corkscrew), shells (my favorite), or bowtie
--A small handful or so of flour
--A large pot in which to cook the pasta
--Strainer
--A smaller pan in which to cook the cheese sauce
--A buttered baking dish, preferably glass
--An oven, set to 350 degrees

PASTA PREP
Prepare pasta as directed on package. This requires a large pot of boiling water and some downtime; while you wait for the pasta to cook, make the sauce or something.

SAUCE!
Take the smaller pan and set it on your stovetop. Set the stovetop to low-medium heat. Wait until it's warm, then add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the milk and stir a bit. Bring to a simmer (uncovered), then add the cheese; I suggest that you use shredded cheese because it's a bit easier to integrate with the other dairy products. Stir, and when it starts to melt, sprinkle in some of the flour to thicken the sauce a bit; this is for ease of pouring onto the pasta, or something. It won't end up tasting like flour--I promise (unless you add a lot of flour, in which case I cannot promise anything). Keep stirring so that you can avoid the weird skin that tends to form on top of thick sauces and puddings when you cook them on the stove. Or, have the person who's not doing most of the prep stir the sauce.

ALL TOGETHER NOW
Strain that pasta. Dump all of it into your buttered baking dish (Note: I haven't yet attempted to bake this in a nonstick pan; if anyone wants to try it for a less dairy-tastic version--with less butter [HORRORS!]--and tell me how it goes, that is totally cool), then pour the cheese sauce out of its pan and onto your pasta. Stir in its dish. I'm serious. Make sure that you get cheese into every available crevice; you will thank me later. Better yet, have a friend/partner/significant other help you with this step--one person cheesifies the pasta, and the other person mixes it up. If you like, sprinkle a shitload of cheese on the top. Believe me: it is worth it.

Here is the most difficult step: Put the dish in the oven (at 350 degrees), bake for 25 minutes. Ideally, the cheesy top should be melted and (maybe) a tad crispy, if that's your thing.

Remove from the oven. Let cool for a minute or two. Serve, possibly with more dairy products.

If you want to keep leftovers, seal the pan with plastic wrap and stick in it the fridge. You can microwave it the next day and it will still taste fantastic.

Vegetable-tacular modification: Add cooked broccoli for epic awesomeness. Just cook the broccoli for 2-3 minutes in the same water in which you boil the pasta (I suggest using a slotted spoon or pasta handle-thing to remove the broc before you boil the pasta), drain, set aside, and add to the pan when you add the cheese sauce to the pasta.

Serve and enjoy!

Mmmm Mac 'n cheese... Sounds delish!