Pasta Souffle Recipes

CHICKEN AND CHEDDAR SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Special equipment: a 2-quart (8-cups) souffle dish
• Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart souffle dish. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 stick of butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses, the spinach, chicken, egg yolks, and bread cubes. Stir until combined (mixture will be thick).
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at high speed until they hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the chicken mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish and bake until the souffle is puffed and the top is firm and golden, about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

SOUFFLE PANCAKE

Steps:

• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet over low heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Separate eggs, placing egg whites in a large bowl and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add flour, milk, sugar, lemon juice, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract to the bowl of yolks. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter; lightly mix into a slightly lumpy batter. Let batter rest while whipping egg whites.
• Whisk egg whites into stiff peaks using a wire whisk or electric mixer. Gently fold batter into the egg whites.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Pour in batter just before butter starts to brown. Cook until slightly set, 2 to 3 minutes. Drop in sliced strawberries until they are mostly submerged.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake souffle until top is light brown and center is set and doesn't jiggle when shaken, about 25 minutes. Broil until top is dark brown in color, about 2 minutes.
• Slide pancake onto a plate and sprinkle confectioners' sugar on top.

FRENCH TOAST SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in milk, half and half, maple syrup, and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over the bread; cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, remove souffle from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm.

GARLIC SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Set aside three cloves of garlic for the basic sauce. Put the remaining garlic cloves in a small, shallow baking dish and add the olive oil, water, one-half teaspoon thyme, one bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover closely and place in the oven. Bake one and one-half hours or until the garlic is totally tender. Baste the garlic pieces occasionally as they cook.
• Meanwhile, melt the six tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Bring the half-andhalf and heavy cream to the boil in a small saucepan and add it to the flour and butter mixture, stirring rapidly with the whisk. When thickened and smooth, add salt to taste. Set the saucepan in a basin of simmering water.
• Tie the quartered onion, the reserved garlic cloves, one-half teaspoon thyme, the remaining two bay leaves, parsley sprigs and peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth. Bring up the ends and tie them to make a bag. Add this to the sauce. Cover closely and let the sauce cook in simmering water about one hour, stirring the sauce occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the water and let it cool briefly. Remove and discard the cheesecloth bag.
• Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees.
• Put the baked garlic through a food mill, pressing to extract as much pulp and liquid as possible from the solids. Or press it through a sieve, using a pestle. There should be about one and one-half tablespoons. Add this to the cream sauce and stir.
• Add the egg yolks, the Gruyere or Swiss cheese and two-thirds cup of the Parmesan and beat well to blend. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper and blend well.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add half of them to the cheese sauce and beat them in. Add the remaining whites and fold them quickly until well distributed.
• Generously butter a 12-inch oval, ovenproof platter. Pour in the souffle mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and thyme. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes until well browned.

PARMESAN-POLENTA SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Butter a six-cup souffle dish and dust it with two tablespoons of the cheese. Set aside.
• Bring one and two-thirds cups water with the olive oil to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Cook the polenta at medium-high heat, stirring for about 10 minutes, until the mixture has the consistency of a thick white sauce. Remove from the heat.
• Using a wooden spoon, beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. The souffle can be prepared in advance up to this point.
• About 40 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold a firm peak, but are still creamy. Stir one-quarter of the egg whites into the cornmeal mixture. Then fold the cornmeal mixture into the remaining egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the prepared souffle dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle it with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the souffle is puffed, browned and firm. Serve at once.

MACARONI SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300*F. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a pan. Use a little of it to coat the inside of a 5 cup souffle dish. Coat evenly with the breadcrumbs, shaking out any excess.
• Heat the remaining butter in the pan and stir in the paprika and flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Gradually add the milk, stirring until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the grated cheeses, stirring until melted, then season well.
• Remove the pan from the heat, let the sauce cool slightly, then beat in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and spoon 1/4 into the sauce mixture, beating it gently to loosen it up.
• Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites. Gently fold in the macaroni. Transfer the mixture to the prepared souffle dish. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40-45 minutes, until the souffle has risen and is golden brown. Make sure you serve this as soon as it is cooked or it will sink dramatically. The middle should wobble very slightly. Enjoy!

CONTEST-WINNING GREEK PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, olives, onion, green pepper, basil and oregano. , Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 400° until heated through and cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle with oregano or basil. Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.