Boil your Ditalini pasta according to the package directions, reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta in case you need to thin out your cheese sauce.

In a pan, melt your butter on low heat. Add your flour to the pan with the butter, I kind of disperse the flour all over the pan instead of dumping it in one spot.

Use a whisk and whisk the butter and flour together. It may clump up a little bit that is ok. You want to cook out the raw flavor of the flour by doing this step. Whisk it for just a minute or two.

Add the milk a little at a time. I do about ¼ cup of the milk at a time. Whisk constantly you want to work out the lumps of flour, the pan should be very slightly simmering but not boiling. Continuously add the milk and whisk as you go. The mixture should be smooth and again, not boiling but simmering enough to thicken.

Add your mustard and all your seasonings, whisk, taste and adjust seasonings. You know the mixture is right when it coats the back of a spoon.

Add the cheese a handful at a time and fold in with a spatula, stir until the cheese melts, then add more and repeat.

Once the cheese mixture is smooth, if your pasta is still cooking you can keep it on the lowest heat.

When your pasta is cooked, drain it, reserve a cup of the pasta water, add all of your pasta to the cheese sauce and toss to coat. If your cheese sauce is too thick, which it should not be, but sometimes it just does what it does, add a little of the pasta water at a time to smooth out your sauce.

Serve immediately. Makes great leftovers, but it will not be as smooth an creamy as it is when you first serve it.