Shelly's Recipe

FANCY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Category: Pasta - Baked

White Sauce
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
4 1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, caps only
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground black pepper and salt
1 (1 lb) pkg elbow twists (cavatappi) or elbow macaroni
1 1/4 cups shredded Asiago, cheddar cheese and provolone cheese
3/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Prepare White Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir well. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add milk and continue stirring. Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a boil; cook 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and stir in nutmeg. Cover and keep warm.

Prepare Macaroni: In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add shallots and cook 1 minute. Add white and shiitake mushrooms, garlic, pepper, and salt; saute until all liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated -- about 10 minutes. Set mushroom mixture aside.

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well and stir into mushroom mixture. Heat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine Asiago, cheddar, and provolone cheeses. Add all but 1/2 cup of the combined cheeses to warm sauce; stir until cheeses have melted. Add sauce to macaroni-mushroom mixture, stirring to combine. Spoon into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining cheeses and bread crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through -- about 30 minutes. Cool slightly; serve.