Italian Baked Mac 'N Cheese

August 25th is National Mac 'N Cheese Day! I love Mac 'N Cheese, which is quite hilarious to my family as I was such a picky child. I still do not love certain cheeses on their own, but I have always had a fondness for the Italian cheese varieties and grate Parmesan on my food almost as much as pepper. In honor of this foodie holiday, I am sharing my recipe for Italian Baked Mac 'N Cheese. 

The baked version of this dish give a little added decadence, in the form of the amazing crust that browns on the top and sides of the baking dish. You get the same rewarding crunch of cracking open the caramelized crust of a creme brulee with this pasta and dish out a heaping pile of the velvety, creamy pasta center below. I love to top mine with fresh thyme and ground black pepper, and always a sprinkling of parmesan cheese before serving. It's Mac and CHEESE after all, you can't have enough cheese!

When baking a pasta, I always slightly undercook the noodles so the sauce has a chance to soak in and finish cooking them to a perfect al dente.  Make sure to add enough cream to really coat the noodles. Depending on the day, I will even add a couple of splashes before the breadcrumbs, as pasta can be temperamental and absorb more or less of the cream sauce. Better to have extra, then end up with a dry dish. The extra layers of cheese will melt into the added liquid and thicken as it bakes. 

For a personalized twist, bake in individual ramekins so each person gets plenty of crunch from the crust and baked edges. With this method, decrease your cooking time by 5-10 minutes and watch closely for browning.

Italian Baked Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 Lb. of tube shaped pasta; Ziti, Rigatoni or Cavatappi
1/2 cube of butter
1/2 C flour
1 pint of half & half, warmed
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 C. Panko bread crumbs
1 bag of Italian cheese blend
3/4 C. shredded applewood smoked cheddar
3/4 C grated Parmesan
(Blend all cheeses together)
fresh thyme

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot with salted water. Drain two minutes before cooking time listed to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce while baking.

While the pasta cooks, make the béchamel sauce:

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks to a light blonde roux. Add the warm cream, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add the garlic powder, nutmeg and white pepper, lower the heat, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese at a time during the last few minutes of cooking until thickened. Remove from the heat. 

Pour the drained pasta into the béchamel sauce and stir to coat. Layer the pasta into a large ramekin or baking dish that has been prepped with cooking spray, alternating a layer of pasta and a layer of cheese until all the pasta is packed into the baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs, lightly sprinkle with smoked paprika and a final layer of cheese.

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is browned and bubbly.
Garnish with chopped fresh thyme and freshly ground black pepper before serving.