Ruth's Diner Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
Recipe courtesy Erik Nelson, chef and owner at Ruth's Diner in Salt Lake City, UT
3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
2 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack
1 cup cottage cheese
For the topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
Cook macaroni, drain do not rinse.
In a large saute pan, saute the onions in butter. Add the flour to make a roux and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, bay leaves, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Mix the 2 cheeses together in a small bowl. Once the mixture is at a simmer, add 3 cups of cheese mixture and the cottage cheese. Stir well, remove from heat, and remove bay leaves from mixture. Add macaroni noodles to milk mixture, mix well.
Pour 1/2 of macaroni mixture into a 2-quart baking dish, cover with 1/2 of the remaining grated cheese, add remaining macaroni mixture and cover with the remaining grated cheese mixture.
In small bowl mix together the topping ingredients and top the macaroni. Place into the oven and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
* Restaurant Recipe
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. Food Network Kitchens have not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make representation as to the results.