Macaroni and Cheese, Not

This was a favourite of my daughter's as she was growing up and she has recently asked me to share the recipe.  

My version of Mac'n Cheese

Although we always referred to it as macaroni and cheese, I would use over sized pasta shells or rigatoni, because I liked the way the larger pieces of pasta would hold the sauce, and then add things like mushrooms and onions and garlic. I once made the mistake of serving this to some of my daughter's friends when she was quiet young and was informed by a precocious eight year old, that this was NOT macaroni and cheese.  My mistake. 

Mushroom and Onion Mixture in cast iron pan

• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• olive oil
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, 
• 2 tablespoons flour
• a pinch of paprika
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups of large shell pasta, or rigatoni
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 of a a cup of grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 of a cup grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Boil water, and add salt to the water, and add pasta and boil until al dente. Drain and set aside.  While the pasta is boiling, sauté the chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil in a frying pan until soft.  Add sliced mushrooms and thyme, minus stem, and sauté until soft. Add freshly ground pepper and add mushroom mixture to cooked pasta. 

In a pot, heat milk with an onion and bay leaf, but do not let come to boil.  Set aside.  Melt butter, slowly add flour while stirring and let start to turn brown.   Add a little of the warm milk while stirring until the mixture is smooth.  Gradually add the remainder of the milk, constantly stirring. Add the parmesan and mozzarella cheese and slowly cook while stirring until the sauce thickens.  Do not let boil. Remove onion and bay leaf from sauce. Stir in paprika, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add cheese sauce to the pasta and mushroom mixture, and stir.  Spread in casserole dish,  sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top, cover with tin foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.   Remove tin foil and put back in oven for another 10 minutes or until the top is golden.   

Note:  I sometimes add chopped bacon, crisply fried, to the vegetable mixture if there are no vegetarians in the crowd.