Fall is definitely in the air here in north central Alabama. Cooler temperatures make me crave comfort food and what is better comfort food than macaroni and cheese. The idea of homemade mac 'n cheese has always epitomized comport food in my head, but none of the recipes I had tried in the past ever measured up to how cheesy and delicious I wanted it to taste. Well, this summer I finally found a recipe that measured up all the way around the table at our house. Mary Frances even requested it for her birthday dinner. Be careful not to add too much nutmeg - a little goes a surprisingly long way.
Here goes:
Three Cheese Pasta Bake
1 (8oz) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup half and half
½ cup (4 oz) shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 oz) shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
· Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking
constantly one minute. Gradually whisk in milk and half and half, cook constantly 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
An aside “until thickened” always takes me longer than a recipe say even when I increase
the temperature. Any suggestions welcome! Now on with the recipe~
· Stir in cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, ½ cup Gruyere and the next three ingredients
until smooth.
· Stir together pasta and cheese mixture. Pour into lightly greased 11x17 inch baking dish.
· Top with remaining Gruyere. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes – until golden and
bubbly.
Now that you've read the recipe you can tell it is just cheesy enough for the children's taste buds and the Gruyere cheese adds a grown-up element but in truth what grown-up doesn't love good ol' fashioned mac 'n cheese. Probably only those who are watching their waistlines...
I owe a whole lot of people recipes so I am going to try to catch up. Sorry no pictures today~
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