Creative Cooking with Southern Flair!
Mac & Cheese
Italian
Ingredients
1 pound large, elbow noodles
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon freshly minced, garlic
6 cups whole milk
3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
3 ounces (weight) grated or sliced Provolone cheese
1 1/2 ounces (weight) finely grated, Parmesan cheese
4 ounces (weight) shredded, Mozzarella cheese
Topping
6 ounces (weight) shredded, Mozzarella cheese
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt & black pepper
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Fresh basil, chopped
Italian parsley, chopped
Extra Virgin olive oil
Directions
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and set aside.
Heat the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the Provolone and Parmesan and whisk vigorously to melt. If needed, place back on burner over low temperature to keep hot enough to melt cheeses. Add the Mozzarella, season with more salt & pepper if needed and stir until smooth.
Add pasta and cheese sauce to a large bowl and mix well. Liberally butter a 12"x10"x 2 1/2" baking dish (or similar) and add the mixture. Top with the 6 ounces of Mozzarella and arrange the tomato slices on top. Season tomatoes with salt & black pepper and then sprinkle desired amount of Parmesan cheese over the tops.
Bake in the center of oven @375F until edges are bubbly and lightly browned, about 30-35 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake or sauce will dry out. Remove from oven and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with fresh basil and parsley before serving. Serves 8-10.