Recipe Box, Grown-up Mac & Cheese

the Painted Apron

2 years ago

I think just about everybody likes good ol’ macaroni & cheese

and I will admit we often serve Stouffer’s

Macaroni & Cheese at my house…

but when I saw a recipe for Truffled Mac & Cheese,

I knew I had to try it!

Black Truffle oil is magic stuff,

it adds a wonderful umami flavor,

that hard to describe, savory pleasant taste

This grown up version of mac & cheese

uses rotini pasta instead of macaroni

The spiral pasta can really grab and hold sauce

The sauce for this recipe is made with Gruyère

and Vermont Sharp White Cheddar,

plus milk, cream, Dijon mustard, butter, paprika and flour

First melt butter and stir in flour,

mustard and paprika to make a roux

Whisk in milk and cream and bring to a boil

Simmer, whisking frequently until sauce thickens and smooths out

Remove from heat and stir in pepper

Add cheeses and stir until they melt into the sauce

Cook the pasta al dente, or a little under cooked

since it will continue to soften when dish is baked

Place drained pasta into a prepared casserole dish

and toss warm pasta with the truffle oil

Pour cheese sauce over pasta

Stir to coat pasta with sauce

Cover the top with remaining cheese

At this point the casserole can be covered

and refrigerated for baking later

Bring dish to room temperature and bake at 350 degrees

for 30-40 minutes until hot and melty

Needless to say,

this is incredibly rich so serve small portions!

This recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma

Grown Up Mac & Cheese

This decadent pasta dish is flavored with black truffle oil, Gruyère and Vermont Sharp White Cheddar cheese made into a rich white sauce for a sophisticated macaroni and cheese!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword baked pasta casserole, mac & cheese, macaroni and cheese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Servings 4

Equipment

8" x 8" baking dish

Ingredients

3 Tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz rotini pasta
2 tsp black truffle oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
3 oz Vermont sharp white cheddar, grated
salt
black pepper

Instructions

Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish
Cook pasta according to directions on the package, but remove from heat 2 minutes before the directions say, and drain.
Place drained pasta in prepared dish and immediately toss with truffle oil.
Melt butter over medium high heat in a saucepan, then stir in flour, paprika and mustard. Continue stirring until all flour is combined and a thick roux is formed
Whisk in milk, cream and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Simmer, whisking frequently until lumps are smoothed out and sauce thickens, 4-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add a pinch of pepper. Stir in cheeses, reserving 1/3 of each cheese for topping.
Pour the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish and stir to coat.
Top casserole with reserved cheeses
The casserole can be covered at this point for baking later if desired.
Bring casserole to room temperature before baking at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and melted