cayenne | cheese | chive | cooking | food | macaroni/pasta | meals | panko | quick & easy | recipe | savory

Three cheese spirals.

March 23, 2010

Okay so if you read this blog a lot, you’ll know I love macaroni & cheese. I have TONS of recipes for it  (well, this is the fifth one I’ve made; I have a traditional one, one with broccoli, a spicier one with cayenne and one with white cheddar and garlic breadcrumb topping) …but I love trying new ones. So when the new Food Network magazine came this month (you know I was one of the first subscribers to that? Jay got it for me as part of my birthday gift right when it was debuting) and it had a whole piece on macaroni & cheese, you can imagine how excited I was.

I immediately folded down all the pages with recipes I wanted to make, and the first ones I wanted to tackle were the mac-n-cheese ones. The first one in the article was this recipe, three cheese spirals, so I went with that one. What was different about this one was that there was evaporated milk in it, and also there was no baking (or broiling) involved. It was a strictly stove-top recipe. So it was really, really quick to make. It was thick, creamy, and very delicious despite being easy. I made a few changes, so I’m going to give you my version of the recipe here. If you want the original… well, you’re just gonna have to go get the magazine, aren’t you? Which will admittedly be hard to do when this post gets to be over a month old. Oh well. You’ll like my version, people of the future.

On a cold not-quite-spring day, it’s just wonderful to come home and have a bowl (or plate) of this. Actually it would be amazing to serve this in one of those super cute mini-casserole dishes or cocottes. I wish I had some to use, especially at times like this. And technically… this should be called ‘four cheese spirals’, because I added another cheese in. But I don’t really count the parmesan anyway, because you don’t need it. You can even take it out if you want.

…

So creamy. Just perfection. There is really no excuse to not make homemade macaroni & cheese with a recipe like this. None at all. It’s pulled together so quickly it’s basically like making Velveeta shells & cheese or Kraft, just it tastes about a gazillion times better. Oh, and it’s homemade. Duh.

Now I have another hit mac-n-cheese recipe under my belt. It’s getting to be hard at this point, because when people request it for dinner or holidays now, I have to ask “Which recipe!?”

THREE CHEESE SPIRALS

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound gemelli (or other spiral pasta)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
  • 1 ¾ cups mix of monterey jack & colby cheese
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley & chives

Directions:

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour & cayenne pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste fluffs slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in both milks and add ½ teaspoon salt and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened and creamy, about 6 to 7 minutes.
  3. Add the cheddar and jack cheeses and all but 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese and whisk until melted; keep warm.
  4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan. Add the panko, remaining parmesan, chives and parsley and cook until panko is just toasted and slightly browned. Remove from heat.
  5. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup cooking water, and return to the pot. Stir in the cheese sauce, adding the reserved cooking water (only if needed). Season with salt and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Serve.

Another score for the Food Network magazine. Thumbs up, guys.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
PSST... SHARE THIS:
Facebook Twitter Email
Stove-top macaroni & cheese Three cheese spirals

Only registered users can comment.

  9. I have been surfing online more than three hours these days,
    yet I by no means found any attention-grabbing article
    like yours. It’s pretty worth sufficient for me.
    In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made
    excellent content as you probably did, the web will be much more useful than ever before.

  10. Hello, Neat post. There is a problem together with your web
    site in web explorer, might check this? IE still is the market chief and a large portion of people will leave out
    your fantastic writing due to this problem.

  12. Excellent post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m impressed!

    Very helpful info specifically the last section 🙂 I deal with such information much.

    I was looking for this certain information for a long time.

    Thanks and best of luck.

  15. I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours these days, yet I by no means found any fascinating article like yours.
    It’s lovely worth sufficient for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made
    excellent content as you probably did, the net will likely be much more useful than ever before.

  19. Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

  20. I’m gone to say to my little brother, that he should also pay a quick visit
    this webpage on regular basis to obtain updated from newest news.

  22. I’ve been browsing online greater than three hours these days, yet I by
    no means discovered any interesting article like yours.
    It is pretty price sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all web
    owners and bloggers made good content as you probably did, the net will
    likely be much more useful than ever before.

  23. I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here.

    The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nonetheless,
    you command get bought an shakiness over that you wish be
    delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this hike.

  26. Hello very nice website!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful ..

    I’ll bookmark your web site and take the feeds also?
    I’m happy to find numerous useful information right here within the
    submit, we need work out extra strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing.
    . . . . .

  27. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide
    credit and sources back to your blog? My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from
    some of the information you present here. Please let me know
    if this okay with you. Cheers!

  29. I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here.
    The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish.
    nonetheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that
    you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come
    more formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this hike.

  30. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am going through difficulties with your RSS.
    I don’t know the reason why I am unable to subscribe to it.
    Is there anybody having the same RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond?
    Thanx!!

  31. Hello, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to enhance my
    web site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!

Comments are closed.