Smoked Gouda Macaroni

A smoky and savory flavored spin on a classic.

Smoked Gouda Macaroni with Sautéed Tomatoes

This is a slightly different take on macaroni and cheese. If you know me well, you know mac and cheese is one of my favorites. Combining one of my beloved cheeses [smoked gouda] and “small thimbles” pasta [ditalini] resulted in this versatile dish.

• Begin by cooking pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water – 2 tablespoons-ish. Allow to cook until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, drain well, rinse with cool water and return to pot or large mixing bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a small pan on medium-high. Sauté garlic until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until liquid is reduced. Reduce heat and set aside.

• Melt butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, whisk in flour to make a roux about 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly until the roux is light blonde.

• Add milk and whisk continuously until smooth. The white sauce [béchamel] will thicken in about 5-6 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, dry mustard, nutmeg, Kosher salt and white pepper to taste.

• Lower heat to medium-low and add cheese to béchamel. Stir until cheese is melted.
• Stir in ditalini until coated. At this point, if the sauce is too thick add some of the reserved pasta water.

• Garnish ditalini with sautéed tomatoes and serve hot.

Serving Suggestion: Serve this as main dish or a side. It pairs well with any grilled protein – chicken, shrimp, steak, etc. Also keep in mind the sautéed tomatoes are optional but they definitely help cut through the creaminess of the pasta with a subtle acidity. Eat your vegetables [fruits]! 😆

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Smoked Gouda Macaroni

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 Servings

An elevated and smoky flavored spin on a classic.

Ingredients

1 lb ditalini Pasta

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup smoked gouda (shredded)

¼ cup mozzarella (shredded)

2 ½ cups milk

½ cup reserved pasta water

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp dry mustard

1 dash nutmeg

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, drain well, rinse with cool water and return to pot or large mixing bowl.

Heat olive oil in a small pan on medium-high. Sauté garlic until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until liquid is reduced. Reduce heat and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, whisk in flour to make a roux about 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly until the roux is light blonde.

Add milk and whisk continuously until smooth. The white sauce [béchamel] will thicken in about 5-6 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, dry mustard, nutmeg, Kosher salt and white pepper to taste.

Lower heat to medium-low and add cheese to béchamel. Stir until cheese is melted.

Stir in ditalini until coated. At this point, if the sauce is too thick add some of the reserved pasta water.

Garnish ditalini with sautéed tomatoes and serve hot.

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