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macaroni and cheese recipe
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Macaroni and Cheese

Course Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Author Vincenzo's Plate

Equipment

  • Cast iron casserole baking dish
  • large pot for boiling pasta
  • knife
  • Chopping-board
  • Glass cup
  • Mug
  • Serving spoon
  • Salad bowl optional

Ingredients

  • packet Short pasta 750g. ex. penne, shells, rigatoni, fusilli
  • 1 glass Full cream milk 200 ml
  • 100 grams Butter 3.5oz
  • 100 grams Taleggio cheese 3.5oz. or a creamy cheese like brie, gorgonzola, or blue cheese
  • 120 grams Buffalo mozzarella 4.2oz
  • 140 grams Provolone 5oz
  • 6 tbsp Pecorino romano or Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 1 tbsp Sea salt

Instructions

  • To start with, add 5L water to your pot and put it on the stove to boil.
  • In the meantime, slice provolone into small cubes and set it to the side until the end.
  • To cook the pasta, once the water boils, add a tablespoon of rock salt (let it dissolve) then add 1½ packets of your pasta of choice and cook al dente.
  • Stir the pasta every so often so it does not get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
  • While the pasta is cooking, you can start to make the cheese sauce.
  • Place a cast-iron casserole (or something similar that can be put directly into the oven) on the stove at a low heat and add 100g of butter, letting it melt.
  • Once the butter has melted, add 1 glass of full cream milk along with 100 grams of taleggio (or your creamy cheese of choice) to the mixture.
  • Scoop up a mug full of starchy pasta water and add it to a bowl with 6 tbsp of pecorino cheese. Mix this together until it becomes creamy and dense.
  • Strain the pasta and add it into the cast-iron casserole then gently mix the pasta with the cheese sauce.
  • Add the pecorino cream into the pasta, then break apart 120g of buffalo mozzarella (using your hands), and add it to the pasta.
  • Add more pasta water to combine the cheese and pasta and mix everything together.
  • Add the pasta back into the casserole and top it with grated pecorino romano. This will make the pasta crunchy after coming out of the oven.
  • Top the pasta with cubes of provolone cheese, adding as much as you want! I added 140g of provolone cheese.
  • Finally, bake the macaroni & cheese in the oven for 25 minutes at 180°C or 356°F.
  • E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!

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