Creamy Baked Macaroni And Cheese With Kale And Mushrooms Recipes

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat the half-and-half and cayenne in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and the reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (It will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Season to taste with salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs with the butter and a sprinkle of salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

MUSHROOM MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the topping: Mix the panko, Parmesan, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• For the pasta: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 10 minutes (it should still be firm as it will continue to cook in the sauce). Drain and set aside, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water.
• While the pasta cooks, heat a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, mushrooms, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown. Remove the cooked mushrooms to a plate and drizzle with the truffle oil.
• Preheat the broiler to high.
• Reduce the heat to medium under the Dutch oven. Add the butter and flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring this mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom. Simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the gruyere, fontina and Parmesan and stir until fully incorporated.
• Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, cooked mushroom mixture, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper to the cheese sauce and fold everything together. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and drizzle with the olive oil and truffle oil. Broil until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling, about 8 minutes.
• Allow the mac and cheese to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 3/4 cups of the cooking water and then drain. Set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the kale and garlic and cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt. Add 1/2 cup of water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale wilts and is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Carefully wipe out the saucepan. Bring the half-and-half, cayenne and nutmeg to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Gradually whisk in the Cheddar and Havarti cheeses, a handful at a time, until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the cooked pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce and stir to combine. Stir in the kale and season with additional salt and pepper. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

DELICIOUS CREAMED KALE WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir kale and shallot until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir mushrooms, cream, Asiago cheese, garlic, salt, and black pepper into kale mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cream has thickened and mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

CREAMY MUSHROOM MACARONI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, milk, mushroom soup and processed cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into 2 quart baking dish and bake 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just past al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Return the empty pot to the stove (no need to clean it) and set over medium heat. Melt the butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter stops spurting and quiets down, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth like gravy, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 5 minutes. At this stage, the sauce should be smooth but relatively loose. Take the pot off the heat.
• To the pot, add the Cheddar, Velveeta, Pecorino Romano, mustard powder, onion powder and cayenne, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth like nacho cheese. Add the drained pasta, breaking up any clumps, and stir until evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or dish and bake until bubbling at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.