Check out this macaroni & cheese casserole recipe. Making the sauce (roux) is work, but based on the comments, the result is worth it. Since my church does a lot of potlucks, someone always brings macaroni & cheese so I have sampled quite a few variations. While good, I have yet to try one that’s ‘outstanding’ ... this might be that recipe!
https://carlsbadcravings.com/million-dollar-macaroni-cheese-casserole-recipe/
Grandma made the BEST Mac-N-Cheese when I was a kid with our monthly allotment of, ‘Free Government Cheese.’ (It was just a big SLAB of Velveeta).
Mom later did it one better and added a shredded can of Corned Beef to the recipe when we had ‘finally arrived’ and had some money, LOL!
That looks like a pretty great recipe. I have my family’s recipe, which uses a great roux, and I tweaked the original to include a mixture of sharp cheddar, smoked Gouda, and gruyere. I just made up a big batch on the 4th to bring in a crockpot to a neighbor’s bbq/pool party. Her college aged son, home for the summer, LOVES my Mac n cheese, so I always bring enough to leave him extra. I bring Mac n cheese, and I swim in their pool. I think that’s a decent trade off. (Isn’t it nice to have neighbors with a pool invite you over on a hot sunny day?)