We’re leaving town today for an extended Thanksgiving celebration, so I didn’t want to go shopping to make dinner yesterday, even though we still had to eat. I still managed to feed my family a pantry and cook-everything-that-might-spoil kind of dinner. That’s how this cacio e pepe mac & cheese came to be.
Happy Thanksgiving, internet! You thought we were going to share a turkey and stuffing recipe, or some brussels sprouts at the very least, but nope! Not hosting this year. Hope this yummy recipe makes up for our lack of seasonal and festive dishes.
What’s your go-to meal when you don’t have any food in the house and you don’t want to go shopping?
Cacio e Pepe Mac and Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an oven safe dish.
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, make the topping: mix the breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Set aside.
- In the same pot, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat, then whisk in flour.
- Add the milk whisk. Bring to a boil, then add 1 1/4 cup of the cheese.
- Turn off the heat, add the pepper, salt, and pasta. Mix well.
- Put the mac and cheese in the casserole, top with the panko cheese mixture, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the topping begins to brown.
- Serve hot.
P.S., how awesome are these colorful bowties? Jessica bought them for me from Italy! I’ll have to go there one day to buy some more…
