Red Salad – Kırmızı Salata
November 11, 2023
SAVORY COOKIES WITH CHEESE – PEYNİRLİ KURABİYE
November 25, 2023
If there’s a perfect comfort food for kids and grownups alike, this is it! İt is baked pasta with cheese, but it is definitely NOT “mac’n cheese” as we know it. This is pasta in a rich béchamel sauce, topped with cheese, baked to perfection. This is one of my sister Nüvit’s specialties. Although there are several baked pasta recipes around, I haven’t tasted anything better. I’m not sure if it is the eggs she adds to the sauce that makes the difference, but it sure is finger-licking good! Whenever she serves it, we always go back for seconds. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb misko pasta noodles (long, hollow pasta) * See notes for alternatives
- 4 tbsp ( ½ stick) butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 heaping table spoons flour
- 4 cups milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups grated cheese mixture, divided. (Monterey Jack & Parmesan cheese, 1 cup each)* See notes for alternatives
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the eggs in a large bowl, mix with a whisk.
- Take a ½ cup of the cheese mixture set aside. You’ll use this to top the pasta dish.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of the cheese to the eggs in the large bowl. Mix with a spoon.
- In a large pan, boil 5 quarts of water. Cook pasta noodles according to the instructions on package adding a tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. When noodles are cooked, drain, set aside.
- Prepare the béchamel sauce while pasta is cooking. In a large pot, combine butter and oil. Add flour. Stirring with a whisk, start sautéing the flour. Keep stirring until the flour starts to change to a golden color.
- Slowly add milk, continue to stir the mixture with a whisk to avoid clumping. When it starts to boil and slightly thickens remove from the heat. It should NOT be as thick as béchamel sauce since it will further thicken in the baking process.
- Save 1 cup of the sauce in a small bowl, set aside. You’ll use this on the top layer.
- Wait 5 minutes for the sauce to cool a little. Slowly add the rest of the sauce to the cheese/egg mixture in the large bowl, mix with a spoon.
- Add drained noodles to the bowl, gently mix.
- Glaze the bottom of a 10×15 oven safe dish with butter.
- Add the pasta mixture to the dish.
- Spread the saved sauce over the pasta mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.
AFİYET OLSUN! BON APPETIT!
Variations:
- You can use shorter hollow pasta instead of the long ones. I usually use “penne” since it is easier to handle compared to long misko noodles.
- You can use different cheese mixture. Cheddar, Munster, Gouda, Fontina, etc. Just don’t use mozzarella. I use Trader Joe’s grated Quattro Formaggio cheese, a mixture of 4 cheeses (Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina, and Provolone).
- If you halve the recipe, use 2 eggs and a 7×11 inch oven safe dish.
- You can use two 7×11 dishes instead of one large 10×15 inch dish snapsex.
