Ultimate Mac 'n' Cheese
Ready In: 45 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta or 8 ounces shell pasta or 8 ounces penne or 8 ounces other tube shaped pasta
- 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 1⁄2 tablespoons butter or 3 1⁄2 tablespoons margarine
- 1⁄2 cup finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄4 cups dry white wine
- 2⁄3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 7 ounces gruyere, grated
- 3 ounces aged gouda cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1⁄8 teaspoon red crushed red pepper flakes
- tabsaco hot sauce (optional)
- 1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 4 ounces crusty sourdough bread, torn into large pieces (about 1/4 loaf)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of boiling, well-salted water until tender to the bite, 7 to 12 minutes.
- Drain, but do not rinse.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
- Add shallots and cook until light golden, about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle shallot-butter mixture with flour; cook, stirring often, 1 minute.
- Add wine; stir, picking up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add cream and stir well.
- Sprinkle in cheeses, one large handful at a time, stirring until each handful is almost melted before adding the next.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons chives, mustard, 1/4 teaspoons salt, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.
- Stir cooked pasta into cheese mixture, then pour all into a 2-qt. baking dish.
- In a food processor, pulse bread with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoons chives, and 1/4 teaspoons salt until coarse bread crumbs form.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs over pasta and cheese and bake until top is browned and cheese is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
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