Pasta Wheels and Cheese

Meatless Mondays sometimes means comfort food Mondays. It’s hard for me to not think of Mac and Cheese when I think comfort food. Super carb-y and gooey cheesy, mac and cheese reminds me of being a kid. Now that I’m older I’ve moved away from the box and insist on making my mac and cheese from scratch. It takes a little longer but the results are worth every minute. No matter how many times I make mac and cheese I always tell myself that it will be a long process and I am always shocked at how quickly dinner is on the table.

I love Martha, she has some incredible recipes and several home ideas I used around the house. But this woman wants me to do dishes. According to her original recipe I need to put the pasta in a large bowl after it has been cooked and drained. I leave my pasta in the strainer until I need it. No need for that bowl unless you are going to serve from that bowl, then for heaven sakes put your pasta in a bowl. Next, she wants me to heat the milk in a small saucepan until hot. Nope, I just heat that milk in the measuring cup in the microwave.

Sometimes mac and cheese can be a little bland. After all, it’s milk pasta and cheese. So I needed to find a few ways to add a little extra flavor. I didn’t want anything bold, I wanted subtle. I used two cups of cheddar and ½ a cup of feta. I had some extra feta in the fridge left over from Chicken Souvlaki and I was curious if it would add any significant difference to the flavor. It really didn’t, but it was a nice surprise to bite into a piece of feta here and there. Don’t be afraid to experiment with cheese. Use whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge and you never know what cheese combination you might discover. I also added garlic to the roux, add more if you are a garlic fan. I increased the cayenne from a pinch to 1/8 tsp. There is a small increase in the heat, but I’m sure I was the only one who noticed it.

One of my coworkers asked if I was going to add anything to the dish (veggies or meat). I didn’t, but while I was cooking I started thinking about all the lovely add-ins I could try in the future. Bacon, of course, but why not a little chicken or fish? She recommended peas, but I’m not a huge fan of peas. Though, I think little one would be excited to find peas in his mac and cheese!

Enjoy!

I didn't have any luck finding rotelle pasta,
any substantial pasta will work well.

1 lb. rotelle pasta (wagon wheel)
3 cups milk
3 T. butter
1 tsp. garlic
3 T. flour
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. Dijon
2 ½ cups cheddar, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente and drain.

Heat milk in the microwave until hot, about three minutes. Melt butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted add garlic and sauté for about one minute. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly for about one minute or until the roux is a nice nutty brown.  Gradually whisk in hot milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to bubble and thicken, about five minutes.

Remove skillet from heat. Add black pepper, cayenne, mustard, and cheese. Stir until melted.

Stir pasta into the cheese sauce and serve immediately.

http://www.marthastewart.com/317623/pasta-wheels-and-cheese