Living 2 Eat |

… from the kitchen of Danielle Nastri

Blue Cheese Mac n’ Cheese

1 lb penne pasta (or whatever pasta you prefer)

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup flour

¼ cup minced fresh sweet onion (optional but I love this addition)

2 cups whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

3 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 ½ cups blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13×9 baking pan.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and leave in strainer.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour to make a roux and stir constantly to let the flour cook, but not burn. Light brown is good.

Whisk in milk and cream. Simmer until mixture thickens, whisking constantly, DO NOT LET BOTTOM BURN. Reduce heat to low and add grated cheddar cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top before baking) and crumbled blue cheese and onion. Whisk until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to sauce; stir until all pasta is coated. Transfer mixture to buttered baking pan and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

A NOTE FROM DANIELLE

This is one of those “not if you are watching your weight or cholesterol” recipes : )