Creamy Salmon Mac and Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Place salmon in a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook salmon in the oven for 10 to 11 minutes. Salmon will only be partially cooked; it will continue cooking later. Leave the oven on.

While salmon cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni noodles and cook to al dente, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While noodles cook, place a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat and add butter, stirring occasionally as it melts. If the butter is browning, reduce heat. You want the butter just to melt, but not to start browning.

Whisk flour into the melted butter. If it gets a little lumpy, just keep whisking until you have a smooth and creamy roux base. Cook the flour mixture for at least 1 minute, whisking regularly, and adjusting the heat if needed.

Begin whisking milk and half-and-half into the roux, start with about half of the liquid. Whisk until well incorporated and smooth, then continue whisking in remaining milk and half-and-half until everything is well blended into the roux. Increase heat until mixture begins to bubble and thickens, then reduce heat and stir in the cheeses (reserve about 1/2 cup of grated cheese for the top). Whisk until smooth, thick, and creamy. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Stir the drained macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce; break the par-cooked salmon up into large chunks and add that to the pan as well. Stir gently to evenly distribute the salmon and coat all of the noodles in the sauce. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved grated cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.