Macaroni Cheese With Leeks Recipes

EASY PASTA BAKE WITH LEEK AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Bring a second large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook leek for 2 minutes while penne is cooking. Drain well.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Grease a baking dish with some butter.
• Heat cream and butter in a saucepan over low heat until hot. Whisk in Emmentaler cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Mix cooked penne and leek and add to the prepared baking dish. Pour cheese sauce on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

BACON, LEEK, AND TOMATO MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in an 8-quart stockpot.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add macaroni, Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to the boiling water. Cover and let simmer vigorously for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the macaroni mixture cooks, trim dark green parts off leek and discard. Slice leek in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place in a bowl of cold water and swish to remove dirt. Drain leek and stir into the macaroni mixture.
• Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove cores and scrape out seeds. Dice tomatoes; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Remove stockpot from heat; stir in remaining tomatoes and 1/2 of the bacon. Spoon macaroni into a serving bowl and garnish with remaining bacon and reserved tomatoes. Serve immediately.

LEEK MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet.
• Add the leek greens and cook over high heat, stirring just until slightly wilted, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Cook over low heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Add the flour and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and bring to a boil, whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat.
• Add 2 cups of the cheese, season with salt and pepper and whisk the cheese sauce until melted.
• In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until nearly al dente.
• Drain well.
• Add the macaroni and the cheese sauce to the leek greens and stir until combined.
• Transfer the macaroni to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until bubbling.
• Turn the broiler on and broil the mac and cheese until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

MAC AND CHEESE WITH LEEKS AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta until al dente, drain and set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter and oil and cook the leeks until tender but not browned. In a bowl combine the cooked leeks with the Bechamel Sauce, Gorgonzola, Asiago, thyme, oregano, and parsley. Toss the sauce with the pasta until well coated and season, to taste.
• Grease a 9-inch springform pan with the remaining butter. Fill the springform pan with the pasta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.
• In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Remove the garlic and discard. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour to make a roux, cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
• Heat the milk to just below boiling. Pour 1 cup of milk into the roux, whisking constantly as the sauce thickens. Add the rest of the milk, in 1/2 cup portions, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring the bottom of the pot with a spatula to prevent burning. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese, kosher salt and nutmeg to finish the sauce.

CHEESY MACARONI BAKE WITH LEEKS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, whisk flour and chicken broth until blended. Cook leeks, pancetta and garlic in large deep skillet on medium heat 8 min. or until white parts of leeks are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add cream cheese spread and chicken broth mixture; mix well. Cook 2 to 4 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Add shredded cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
• Combine cracker crumbs and butter.
• Drain macaroni. Add to leek mixture in skillet; mix lightly. Spoon into 3-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle crumb mixture.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

CHEESY LEEK & BACON PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the leeks and 2 tbsp water, and cook for about 10 mins until very soft. Add the bacon, turn up the heat and fry until cooked.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain and reserve a mug of the cooking water.
• Spoon cheese into the leek and bacon mix, adding some of the reserved cooking water. Season and stir gently over a low heat until melted. Toss through the cooked pasta, adding a little more cooking water, if needed, to help the sauce coat the pasta.