Cheesy Pasta Bake

Not terribly photogenic, but oh so good.

I cannot call this dish macaroni and cheese. For one, I do not like to use macaroni when creating this dish as it reminds me too much of kindergarten craft projects and I have a hard enough time controlling my impulse to run for the glitter and elmer's glue as it is. For two, the dish I know as macaroni and cheese from my childhood comes from a bright blue box and is often a suspicious orange color. That having been said, this dish is divine. I do not know how I spent the formative years of my life having never had "real" macaroni and cheese - from an oven, not a pot - but I have recently seen the light.

The first time I experienced "real" macaroni and cheese was with my partner Noah at his mother Toni's house. His mother and stepfather have been veggie-converts for many years and as such have had time to perfect what has become a staple in their home. This version is a hodgepodge of what I gleaned from watching Toni work her magic and a recent recipe from Gourmet magazine. It couldn't be simpler and there are SO many ways to vary this recipe to go from weeknight sassy to dinner party classy.





Cheesy Pasta Bake
35 minutes cook time. 15 min prep time. 350 degree oven.

Ingredients
12 oz pasta (I prefer campanelle or penne, but use macaroni if you like)
2 Tablespoons butter
2-4 Tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream (or 1 1/2 cups milk if heavy cream scares you)
1 teaspoon mustard
4 cups grated cheese (see variations below)
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Method
1. Cook pasta until al dente per package directions
2. Meanwhile, butter a 9x12 baking dish and set aside
3. As the pasta cooks, melt butter in a small sauce pan, once butter has melted stir in 2 Tablespoons flour.
4. Add 2 cups grated cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
5. Remove pan from heat and add cream or milk and mustard. Stir until blended. At this point you can add more flour if you prefer a thicker sauce, or more milk/cream if you prefer a thinner sauce.
6. Once the pasta is finished cooking, rinse in cool water and drain well.
7. Add pasta to baking dish, stir in sauce, cover with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with paprika and, if you like, black pepper.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Variations

Old Fashioned
Use an extra sharp cheddar cheese, I like Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp or any of the Vermont Cheddar Cheeses at Trader Joes.

Ham and Cheese
Brown cubed pancetta and mix in with pasta as you add the sauce. For cheese use a mixture of half Gruyere and half Fontina cheeses for a not too rich, not too sharp balance.

Three Cheese
This may be too excessively rich for most, but use 3 cups Comtè, 3/4 cups grated Parmesan, and 1/4 cup fontina.

These are just a few of many options, be bold, go crazy.