Reinventing The Pancake: Mac Cakes

• 1 cup dried small elbow pasta
• 1/2 cup bechamel sauce
• 1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar is classic, but any other favorite cheese will also work)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until a little less than al dente.
2. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain the pasta again.
3. Mix the sauce, cheese and egg together in a bowl.
4. Add the cooked pasta and stir together until evenly mixed.
5. Place the panko bread crumbs in a separate bowl.
6. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mac mixture in the bowl of panko.
7. Gently roll it around in the panko to form a ball that is fully coated with bread crumbs.
8. It is a little hard to work with, but dont worry, it doesnt need to be perfect its about to be flattened out into a pancake!
9. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat, and butter the pan generously.
10. Place the ball of mac and cheese on the pan, and press it down with the back of the spatula until it flattens out into a thick pancake (not too thin, or it will break apart).
11. Repeat with enough pancakes spaced at least 1 inch apart to fill the griddle or skillet.
12. Cook the pancakes on one side until brown and crispy, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until brown and crispy, another 2 minutes.
13. Transfer the pancakes from the griddle to a serving plate.
14. Repeat, adding more butter as needed, until all the pancakes have been cooked.
15. Eat the pancakes as soon as they are ready for maximum crispiness and cheesy gooeyness.

elbow pasta, bechamel sauce, grated cheese, egg, bread crumbs, unsalted butter

Taken from www.foodrepublic.com/recipes/reinventing-the-pancake-mac-cakes-recipe/ (may not work)