Baked Mac 'n' Cheese with Ham

I really like this recipe. I have made baked mac 'n' cheese in the past and this one is by far the easiest I have made. I was surprised by the cottage cheese, but it tasted great! I added ham in mine, you can omit this if you choose to. Also, I added the Italian style Panko bread crumbs on the top. Anytime anything calls for a bread crumb topping, I always use Panko crumbs. I think they are more flavorful, and crunchier than anything else.

Recipe from C Love
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I used mild, 2%)
1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese (I used lowfat)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (I used FF)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Italian Style Panko Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.

In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle Panko bread crumbs evenly over the top. Place dish back in the oven and broil the top for a few minutes until golden brown.

*You could split the shredded cheddar cheese, and put half in the mixture and place the other half on the top under the Panko bread crumbs. This is what I usually do. In the picture I doubled this recipe and placed it in a 10x15 dish.