Venetian Mac & Cheese

I'm apparently on a Giada kick lately. Can you blame me, though? This macaroni & cheese is so rich & creamy - you'll love it. Don't use substitutes for the milk & cream, though. The texture won't be right if you do.


Venetian Mac & Cheese
From Giada de Laurentiis - Every Day Pasta
Serves 4-6

Butter for pan
12 oz egg noodles, uncooked
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease pan or casserole dish.

Coook noodles to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Whisk cream, milk, flour, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Blend in 1 cup fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup Mozzarella, and parsley. Add noodles & toss to coat. Blend remaining dry cheeses together.

Transfer to baking dish and cover with the rest of the cheeses.

Bake for about 15 minutes. (This wasn't enough baking time - I think I ended up baking for bout 25).

Let stand 10 min before serving. She's serious about this - the sauce will be very runny when you take it out of the oven, but it will thicken a lot upon standing.

*The original recipe called for peas and pancetta. I omitted them due to preference, but I'm sure they would be a good addition if you liked them*