Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

The nutty flavor of fontina and creaminess of mascarpone create a delicious updated version of mac and cheese. If your supermarket doesn't stock mascarpone cheese, substitute full-fat cream cheese. For a dinner party, bake the pasta in individual gratin dishes for 15 minutes.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients

* 1 pound uncooked penne
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
* 3 cups fat-free milk
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Cooking spray
* 3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 small garlic clove, minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add cheeses, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Tear bread into several pieces. Place bread in a food processor; process until fine crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories:423 (30% from fat)
Fat:14.3g (sat 8.2g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:19.3g
Carbohydrate:54.6g
Fiber:2.1g
Cholesterol:46mg
Iron:2.4mg
Sodium:550mg
Calcium:298mg

Jackie Mills, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

BAKED RICE, CHEESE AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Serves 6 to 8.
A rich side dish for pork or lamb chops.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
3 cups cooked rice (about 1 cup raw)
2 cups grated Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried


Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add corn and tomato and sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, 1 cup cheese, cream and thyme and stir until cheese melts and mixture is heated through. Transfer mixture to 8-cup soufflé dish.

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over rice mixture. Broil until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Bon Appétit
May 1993
Jackie O'Halloran