If there was ever a need for comfort food, the time is now. This recipe uses whole ingredients—not from a box—with grown-up spices and flavors that will make your stomach smile. Topped with crispy, crunchy breadcrumbs to add more texture, this dish is exactly what you need.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound elbow or similar pasta, cooked
Cheese Sauce
- 5 cups milk
- 1 medium onion, roughly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 8 oz aged cheddar, grated
- 8 oz Parmigiana Reggiano, grated
- 8 oz fresh goat cheese, pinched into 1” pieces
Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- kosher or sea salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Steam Convection Mode. Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
Make the cheese sauce. Combine the milk, onions, and bay leaves in a saucepan and heat to a near simmer. Remove from heat and allow the flavors to infuse for 15-20 minutes.
In another saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Cook on medium heat for another 2 minutes.
Strain milk into the roux (butter/flour mixture), whisking until the roux is fully incorporated into the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheddar cheese and Parmigiana Reggiano until fully incorporated.
Make the topping. Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese sauce until well distributed. Fold in the goat cheese until barely distributed (you want chunks of the goat cheese to still be not melted).
Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish and spread the topping over the pasta.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top.
Recipe from our friends at Thermador.
