Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Joe has been tweaking this recipe for awhile now, and after one bit of this version, we looked at each other and knew it was ready for the blog. There isn’t much to say about it except that it’s the cheesy, hearty, comforting, classic baked macaroni and cheese that we’ve been looking for. The perfect casserole to make on a cool weekend day, then reheat for lunches or dinners all week long.

In baby news, we had our 20-week ultrasound and found out we’ll be having a baby girl! We saw her moving all over the place, and later that night Joe was finally able to feel some kicks from the outside. Maybe she liked the mac & cheese.

We forgot to take any finished photos—too busy stuffing our faces with cheeeeese.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (print here)

Ingredients 

Pasta and cheese

• 4 tablespoons flour
• ½ tablespoon dried mustard
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups whole milk
• 400 grams (about 15 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 150 grams (about 5 ounces) gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 pound small pasta shells

Crispy topping

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (panko recommended)
• Sprinkle of dried parsley
• Sprinkle of dried basil
• Grated parmesan, to your taste
• Sprinkle of paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Mix flour and dried mustard in a small bowl. Whisk an egg in a small bowl until almost fluffy.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in flour and mustard mixture. The mixture will begin to brown and fluff up. Then slowly whisk in milk, stirring to prevent clumps from forming. Bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes. It will become very heavy and soft. Then turn the heat as low as possible (or off) and temper the egg into the mixture: whisk it quickly to prevent the egg from cooking. Mix in about ¾ of the grated cheeses, a small handful at a time, stirring and waiting for all the clumps to melt before adding more. If you turned the heat off earlier, you can turn it back on to help melt the cheese.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente, strain, and immediately rinse well with cold water to remove extra starch. Don’t worry about perfectly timing the sauce and the pasta.

Once the cheese mixture is melted and smooth, add the pasta to it, mix, and pour into a 9×13 pan. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese on top.

To make the crispy topping, melt the butter in a large pan. Don’t worry if the butter browns (I think it makes it better). Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and parmesan and cook until the breadcrumbs are slightly toasted. Spread evenly on top of the macaroni and cheese, then lightly sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more (30 minutes total). Remove from oven and let sit at least 20 minutes before eating.

Leftovers

Store in the fridge covered for extra meals. It heats up easily and packs well (if you have a way to heat it up at work). A small amount makes a hearty side dish while a large amount can be a great main dish along with a salad.

Vegetarian Lasagna

October means it’s finally cool enough to crank the oven and make some hearty, hefty, cozy comfort foods, right? At least in theory. At least in states other than California.

So…. lasagna time!

Probably the best thing about this vegetarian lasagna is that you can kind of tell yourself it’s healthy, thanks to the homemade tomato sauce and the finely chopped kale that decorate each layer of cheese and pasta.

For the sauce, we used our pizza sauce recipe, and just added some onions with the garlic at the beginning, and cut down the vinegar measurements a bit to keep it a little thicker. This time around we bought roasted red peppers for our layers, but you can also make your own if you want.

Vegetarian Lasagna (printable recipe here)

Ingredients

• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 jar roasted red peppers (or make your own)
• 6-7 ounces kale
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese (amount will vary, depending on your taste)
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• Red sauce (try this one with at least 2 large cans of tomatoes, plus onions with the garlic, with less vinegar)

Directions

In a small bowl, stir the ricotta cheese and egg until smooth. Chop the peppers into bite-size pieces and finely chop the kale, in a food processor if you like. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and grate the parmesan cheese.

Time to build the lasagna! Spread a layer of red sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Then cover with a layer of uncooked noodles, just slightly overlapping. You can break the noodles apart to fit your pan. Add another thin layer of sauce. Spread one third of the ricotta mixture onto the sauce, then one third of the peppers and half of the kale. Grate parmesan cheese onto the kale, and top with one third of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers. There will only be kale on the inside layers, not on the top, so skip that step on your third layer (but don’t skimp on the cheese!)

Now, preheat the over to 375˚ (or whatever is written on the pasta box, but don’t let it talk you into precooking the noodles if you want to avoid soggy lasagna). Let the lasagna sit for at least 30 minutes so the noodles can absorb the sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil (but save it) and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven, cover with the foil again, and let it rest for at least another 20 to 30 minutes, if you can stand the wait. Serve with salad and garlic bread!

Leftovers

Maybe the best part of lasagna! Store covered in the refrigerator for at least a few days.

P.S. Lasagne or lasagna?