5 Cheese Pasta Recipes

PENNE WITH FIVE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
• Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
• Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
• Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2-cup capacity). Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

FIVE-CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and the ricotta, provolone and Romano. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to simmer and cheeses are melted. Stir in cooked pasta; pour mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese., In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and olive oil; sprinkle over the pasta., Bake, uncovered, until mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.Freeze option: Cool the unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover casserole with foil; bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°, 15-20 minutes longer.

WISCONSIN FIVE-CHEESE BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
• In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese and Provolone cheese. Remove about 1/2 cup for topping and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, sour cream and heavy cream. Season with parsley, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.
• Pour the ricotta cheese mixture and drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheeses and toss lightly. Do not mix too thoroughly, it's better left messy. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then turn the oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes to brown the top.

FIVE CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Boil pasta one minute less than the package directs in plenty of salted water.
• Drain pasta.
• Add the chopped spinach leaves to the hot cooked pasta. Toss evenly and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the cream, ff half and half, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, crushed tomatoes, and cheeses.
• Add hot cooked pasta/spinach mixture to the cream and cheese mixture.
• Stir to combine.
• Pour into prepared casserole dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is browned slightly and pasta is bubbling hot. Serve immediately.

FIVE CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Put a large pan of boiling salted water on and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until very al dente. The dish will be finished in the oven so you dont want the pasta too well cooked. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes on the vine into a roasting pan and drizzle with a little oil and some balsamic vinegar. Season and bake in a moderate oven for 20 mins or until the skins are starting to colour and pucker. Mix the prepared cheeses into a large bowl with the cream. The mixture will seem very thick but this will all melt down in the oven. Season and mix well, but will need more pepper than salt as the cheeses are quite salty, especially the parmesan, tast a little as you go. Once the tomatoes are cooked, remove from the vine and mix into the cheese mix, crushing them a little as you go. Add the drained pasta and mix well. Check for seasoning and place into either small gratin dishes and cook individually or into a large ovenproof dish. Scatter generousely with the breadcrumbs and place into a moderate oven for20-30 mins or until the cheese is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are starting to brown. Serve with a rocket salad and warm ciabatta bread. Great cooked in a large dish and served at the table so people can help themselves.

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO, CREAM, AND FIVE CHEESES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• While pasta is cooking, place cream, tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture, and toss to combine.
• Divide among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups in capacity). Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano and scallions. Serve immediately.

PENNE WITH 5 CHEESES ALA BAREFOOT CONTESSA - INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook penne for just 4 minutes (or until barely al dente, as it will cook more in the oven); drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl, combine the cream, crushed tomatoes, cheeses and basil.
• On the show, very fresh buffalo mozzarella was used, and it was cut into slices and then slivered (much like a julienne); I'm sure shredded mozzarella would work just fine.
• Add cooked, drained penne to sauce and stir well.
• On the show, individual shallow serving dishes were filled with the pasta; I'm sure this could be done in a shallow casserole dish too, such as a 13x9 pan.
• Either fill individual dishes with pasta, as above, or fill an entire shallow dish, then dot butter over surface in small pieces.
• Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until top is browned.
• On the show, the individual dishes were then refrigerated, uncovered, so that they could be reheated later in the evening; unfortunately, no information was given as to how the dish should be reheated (oven temp, time, etc) so, really, your guess is as good as mine.