3.29.2011

Orecchiette Mac & Chesse


Orecchiette pasta is named for its shape, in italian it means small ear. It should be named for its awesomeness! I bought a box of it the other week because it reminded me of this delicious pasta dish I once had in San Francisco. Fast forward to this past Friday night when I needed to whip up a quick dinner for some friends while we gossiped and made desserts for a dessert party the following night. All I had in my cupboards and fridge - orecchiette pasta, a can of mushroom soup, almond milk, a block of sharp cheddar cheese and panko bread crumbs. Voila, I present the best mac and cheese I've had in a long time! So creamy and delicious with a hint of sweetness. Needless to say it was devoured!

Ingredients:
  • orecchiette pasta (1 box or bag)
  • sharp cheddar cheese (1 square of cheese 8 or 10 ounces)
  • mushroom soup (1 can)
  • almond (or dairy) milk (1/2 cup)
  • panko bread crumbs (enough to cover your baking dish)
  • butter (a few tablespoons)
Directions:
Cook the orecchiette pasta according to the directions. Meanwhile, chop the cheddar cheese into cubes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.


Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, warm the mushroom soup with half a can of milk. Butter a baking dish. Pour the soup into the pot with the cooked pasta. Add the cheese and stir. Pour into the buttered baking dish.

Top with the panko bread crumbs. Slice a few pieces of butter over top the mixture so it can toast the breadcrumbs and make them buttery good! (nobody said this was healthy!)


Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!



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2 comments:

  1. do you think it would be as good w/ other kinds of milk?

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  2. yep! my mom makes her mac n cheese very similar to this and uses regular milk and its always a hit. maybe we need to have a cook off and try it with almond milk, dairy milk and whatever else!

    ReplyDelete