Recipe Box, Bleu Cheesy Mac with Pear Walnut Croutons

the Painted Apron

9 years ago

Tired of the same ole boring mac & cheese?

This version is mac & cheese’s elegant cousin

Rotini pasta holds the creamy bleu cheesy sauce in all it’s little crevices, and proudly sports a crown of pear & walnut croutons

This doesn’t take long to prepare, it makes a large amount and it reheats like a dream

Just a few ingredients, milk, butter, flour and cheeses for the sauce, pasta, and pear, walnuts and toast for the topping

Put the pasta on to boil and make the sauce by stirring flour into melted butter

Slowly add milk, cooking a stirring until sauce is thickened

Add cheeses

If you don’t like bleu cheese, sub something else

Flavorful cheeses are what sets this dish apart

Pour sauce over cooked pasta in a baking dish

Toss pears, walnuts and bread cubes together

and this dish is ready for baking

This recipe is adapted from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart

Bleu Cheesy Mac with Pear Walnut Croutons

Course Brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword bleu cheese pasta, mac & cheese, pasta casserole, pear walnut croutons

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Servings 6

2 cups rotini pasta*
2 cups milk
2 T butter
2 T all purpose flour
3 oz. Manchego White Cheddar or Cheddar, grated
2 oz. quality bleu or roquefort cheese crumbled,**
3 slices thin white bread like Pepperidge Farm thin white, lightly toasted and buttered
1 ripe barlett pear cored and diced {leave peel on for color and texture}
3 oz. walnuts chopped
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and stir. Cover pot and turn off burner. Let pot sit on burner while preparing sauce.
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour to form a roux. Slowly incorporate milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until sauce is thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses. Return to burner on low to melt if necessary.
Drain pasta and turn into a greased shallow baking dish. Pour sauce over pasta and gently push pasta down and around in sauce to coat and distribute.
Cut bread into small cubes and toss with diced pear and chopped walnuts in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle evenly over top of pasta. Cover and refrigerate if desired.
Bake pasta covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. If pasta is cold, increase baking time 15-30 minutes or until pasta is hot and bubbly. Serves 6-8.
To reheat, drizzle pasta with a little milk or cream and bake covered at 325 until heated through