Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Friday 19 February 2010

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni 

 Do you love macaroni and cheese? Is it comfort food to you? Delicious, yes . . . . homey, yes . . . . comforting, yes . . . . Company fare??? hmmm . . . . YES!! 


  Cheesy Baked Rigatoni 

 Especially if you make this version . . . . which is rich and indulgent and oh so very, very cheesy.

  Cheesy Baked Rigatoni  

Not something which you would want to eat every day of the week of course, for health reasons naturally, but this is one that you won't mind breaking out at all when company comes to call. 

  Cheesy Baked Rigatoni  

They'll thank you for it . . . . trust me. Your family will thank you for it as well. 

 In fact you may discover new relatives that you have never heard of, popping out of the woodwork just so's they can have a plate! 

 Your arteries???? well, they may not thank you, and neither will your hips . . . . but . . . . c'est la vie. You just can't please everyone can you?? 

   Cheesy Baked Rigatoni  

Rich, golden and loaded with cheese flavour. You can make this up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. It can be reheated in a microwave or a preheated 180*C/350*F oven just until heated through. 

 Take care not to overbake though, in order to keep the cheese smooth. Delicious!!! Just a note . . . . it does not freeze well, so you'll want to eat it all up. hmmm . . . . NOT a problem!

  Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Yield: 4 - 6
Author: Marie Rayner
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
This is a wonderfully rich upscale version of macaroni and cheese. Not something that you would want to eat too often, considering the amount of calories it must contain, but as a once in a blue moon treat, it does the job just perfectly!

Ingredients

  • 1 TBS salt (for the pasta water)
  • 16 ounces of dried pasta rigatoni (1 pound)(can also use fusilli, penne or ziti)
  • 6 TBS butter
  • 70g flour (1/2 cup)
  • 500ml of cream (2 cups)
  • 1 litre of milk (4 cups)
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • more salt to taste
  • freshly grated nutmeg to taste
  • 5 ounces freshly grated gruyere cheese (1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 1/2 ounces freshly grated Emmenthaler cheese (1 1/2 cups) (Swiss)
  • 5 ounces freshly grated strong cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)(preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Instructions

  1. Stir the 1 TBS of salt into a large pot of boiling water. Drop in the pasta and then cook, stirring frequently, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain well in a colander, rinse under cold water, and then drain again. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until bubbly and fragrant. Do not brown. Remove from the heat.
  4. Combine the milk and cream in another large saucepan and bring just to the boil over medium high heat. Add all at once to the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. 
  5. Place the pan back over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about five minutes. Once it has thickened pour it over the pasta in the boil, stirring it in to thoroughly coat the pasta. Spread this mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
  6. Combine the four cheeses in a bowl, and then sprinkle them evenly over top of the pasta. Dust lightly with some more freshly ground nutmeg. Bake in the heated oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese melts, and the pasta is heated through and bubbling.
  7. Preheat the grill to high. Transfer the baking dish to the grill oven and grill until the cheese is slightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Let sit for several minutes before serving. Delicious!
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**NOTE - If the idea of using this much cream bothers you, you may substitute an equal amount of tinned evaporated milk such as Carnation. (NOT sweetened condensed) 

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni 

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12 comments

  1. OOOh Marie...Your right about not eating it everyday...even though I'd love to!
    The recipe sounds killer...I must try it!
    xoxo~Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...
    Stop over and enter my first giveaway...would be darling in your kitchen!

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  2. Yum! This does look good Marie!

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  3. Oh, my! Homemade mac & cheese...doesn't get much better or cheesier than that! Once in a while, as you say, there's really nothing like it! Your recipe looks scrumptious--my girls will love it! Hope you're having a beautiful day, my friend--I'm off to lullaby land!

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  4. Who says you can't have grown-up mac and cheese??!! This looks decadent! I also use a recipe with a lot of cream (I WILL be trying this one)- some things are just worth the calories!
    xoxo Pattie

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  5. This really is glorified mac & cheese, Marie... All this cheese... oh, so good! This is a terrific recipe--can't wait to try! :o) Happy Weekend, dear friend--LOVE YA ((BIG HUGS))

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  6. Dear Marie, this look absolutely delicious, always love this type of dish, and specially the kids love it. Dear I hav been at beach some days (the last days before the kids enter again to school) but I read your recipes all day, some days I have PC and others not, you know one notebook to 4 people and the kids you know. Hugssss and kisses to you and Todd, gloria

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  7. WOW! A real sock knocker-off this one but it wasn't theamount of cream in it that bothered me - it was the amount of cheese! The ultimate comfort food I'd say and the cheese-lover's paradise!

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  8. True comfort food. By the way, I made your recipe for Country Chicken last night and what a hit! I am downloading photos to post very soon,

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  9. you had me completely sold on those gorgeous pictures. i would eat every bite of this with a giant smile on my face!

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  10. Wow - looks so tasty! My Husband will love you forever for posting this one ;0)

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  11. This is definitely my kind of comfort food, delish!

    Maria
    x

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  12. I have a favorite recipe I use, but this looks delicious! I will definitely test out your version!

    S.

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