here's the mac and cheese you're going to make.
you're going to need four cheeses, and i recommend making one of them a sharp cheddar of some description and the other one either romano or parmesan. the last two you'll want to select based on the flavours you're going on, and you'll also want to consider whether or not you'll be adding anything extra like say peas or bacon or whatever. gruyere and emmenthal are good go-tos, although a smoked gouda would add some depth and richness. there's a lot of cheeses out there so like use your judgment. you'll be making this in a skillet, so make sure you have about say two cups of the cheddar and one cup of the other cheese, roughly grated. you'll need about a cup of the parmesan, finely grated. if you're feeling sassy you can go half-and-half with parmesan and another nice fine-grated cheese, like asiago or pecorino romano. the recipe is for an eleven-inch skillet, i should mention, so if these numbers sound stupid for that size of skillet then you can always adjust.
first thing to do is make the pasta. in an 11" skillet you'll want about a pound. cook it just north of al dente; you don't want it to be too edible just yet.
next step is probably to make the stuff you'll put on top. get about two cups worth of breadcrumbs and mix them with some chopped herbs and about half of the the finely-grated cheese. set it aside and preheat the oven to 400˚F.
you're going to then take out your cast iron skillet and make a quick butter-based roux with two parts milk and one part cream. this too you can mix up although you're going to be using a bunch of cheese so it might be a little over-the-top. whisk in a small amount of dry mustard, a few pinches (no more than a half-teaspoon) of kosher salt, and if you're an asshole you can mix in hot sauce. i'm not an asshole so i don't do that. add the remaining half-cup of finely grated cheese and whisk it so it melts and incorporates. then add the other cheeses, stirring the whole time.
now you've got your sauce. turn the heat off. stir in your drained pasta slowly, making sure that as it goes in you're coating it with the sauce. if you're adding something else this is the place to do it, as well. when it's all added top it with your breadcrumb mixture. break a few pieces of butter off your stick and put them on top. be smart and deliberate; although you're definitely in for a penny, in for a pound w/r/t calories here, you also want to be smart and make sure you're just doing this so that the breadcrumbs crisp up and the dish is nicely balanced from top to bottom. put the skillet in the oven (friendly tip: put a baking sheet underneath it so that any spillover goes onto that and not the floor of your oven) and let it bake for 20-25 minutes.
the result is like seriously beautiful and if you're on top of your game you can have it ready inside of a half-hour. it's also the most delicious heart murder possible, basically. if you can make the roux with duck fat you've got the regular recipe topped but that's about the only way.
and the really nice part is that this is a recipe for everyone. have a family? make 'em mac and cheese. have roommates? do this and then weasel your way out of some chores. have a girlfriend or boyfriend? make this for him or her and watch the swooning commence; just don't expect this date to end in sex or really anything other than laying around with a big smile on your face and trying not to pass out. live on your own? well, okay, here's the best part: the first round of this stuff is really good. but leftovers preserve really well, especially if you mix everything all up and put it in another container and then whenever you want another serving you just slap a helping of it into a hot and barely-oiled pan and make fucking pan-fried macaroni and cheese. this can last you like a week and you honestly don't get sick of it. which is good; making it costs a bit of cash due to the cheese expenditure but if you're the only person eating it then you can stretch that investment out for several meals.
the best side dish is a braised green. get some kale or chard or something and while the macaroni bakes chop and sauté the greens quickly with some garlic and shallots then cover them with a nice sharp braising liquid, like a wine vinegar. turn the heat way down and let them gently cook. drain them of the braising liquid when you're done and serve on the side; the acidity of a properly-made braised green is a wonderful balance for the rich gut-bomb you're serving as a main course.