Barilla Whole Grain Elbows Italian Mac Cheese Recipes

SINFULLY RICH AND SKINNY MACARONI & CHEESE, ITALIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. You can use glass or metal.
• Cook pasta. Cook for only 6 minutes so it will not be overcooked. No need to add salt to water! Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.
• In a large bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, drained spinach, cottage cheese, milk, butter, and garlic. Add pasta and mix really well. Blend in egg, basil, salt, and pepper. Be sure it's all mixed together well.
• Transfer pasta to the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake casserole 25 minutes until golden brown. Let casserole rest for 10minutes. Cut into 6 serving. This casserole freezes great!

BARILLA® WHOLE GRAIN ELBOWS "ITALIAN MAC & CHEESE"

Steps:

• Bring a large pot and a small pot of water to a boil
• Pre-heat Oven to 400° F
• *To make carrot puree: Boil carrots in the small pot; when tender drain and rinse
• Puree the carrots in a food processer or blender until smooth adding water as needed to make a thick sauce
• Meanwhile in a large skillet sauté garlic in olive oil until slightly yellow in color
• Add cream to skillet; slowly bring to a simmer and add carrot puree
• Whisk in Asiago and Fontina cheeses, simmer
• Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions
• Drain, and toss with sauce
• Pour mix into a 2-quart casserole dish, top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bake 10 minutes in the oven

WHOLE GRAIN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add macaroni and cook al dente, a minute short of however long you typically cook pasta if you were serving it right away. Use a skimmer or strainer to lift macaroni from cooking water and transfer it to a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and set aside.
• Add broccoli to boiling water and boil 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain, and then drain again on paper towels or a kitchen towel.
• To make béchamel, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to very low and simmer, whisking often and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 15 minutes, until sauce has thickened and lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Remove from heat.
• Strain béchamel while hot into the bowl with the pasta. Add cheeses and broccoli and stir together until pasta is nicely coated with sauce. Scrape into prepared baking dish.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.