Sharing a Recipe and a Tag
I had a few requests for the recipe for Three Cheese Pasta Bake and I’m happy to share it. The original recipe is from the January 2008 issue of Southern Living. I modified the recipe and have included my changes under the original SL recipe.
(SL Photo)
Three-Cheese Pasta Bake
Prep: 20 min., Cook: 7 min., Bake: 15 min.
1 (8-oz.) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded white Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (8 oz.) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided*
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and half-and-half; cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, and next 3 ingredients until smooth.
3. Stir together pasta and cheese mixture, and pour into 4 lightly greased 8-oz. baking dishes or 1 lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. (If using 8-oz. baking dishes, place in a jelly-roll pan for easy baking, and proceed as directed.) Top with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese.
4. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
*Swiss cheese may be substituted.
My Changes:
~I used two boxes of whole wheat penne.
~For the white sauce, I used 2 T of butter, 4 T of flour, and 4 cups of skim milk.
~I added a box of thawed, chopped spinach to the dish for extra color and nutrition.
~I forgot to reserve some of the Swiss for the top, so I topped my dish with Parmesean.
Donna over at Designs on 47th Street tagged me for a fun photo game. This has been all over blogland and it is fun to see what picture will be the fourth picture in the fourth folder.
Here are the rules to this fun game:
1. Go to the the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.
*2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.
*3. Explain the photo.
*4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun!
These are mushrooms that I grew from a kit back in 2002. I think that I ended up using them in a stew. The kit was a gift was from my sister-in-law and I loved the whole process of growing the mushrooms. I should order another kit!
I tag:
Wendy at Wendy’s Wit and Wisdom
Jane at Blondie’s Journal
Steph at It’s Toile, Y’all!
Jean at Jean’s Journal
Oh Paula! The recipe looks great! I’d also like to see the Rachael Ray recipe if you have time!
That recipe looks really tasty! I’ll have to try it. Kristen
Hey Sweet Pea! Thanks for sharing the recipe! My husband and girls love pasta and cheese. Can’t wait to make it! 🙂 Also, love the mushroom kit! Grow your own Fungi! Hee Hee!!
One question about the tag: Do we use the same folder number you did?
xoxo
Jane
Yum!
Your recipe looks delicious–and I have all those ingredients on hand. I think I will try it this week. Thanks for tagging me in the game. School just got canceled! YEA!!!
That looks goooooood. I might try that one this weekend when my brother and sister-in-law arrive (moving back to town). 🙂
Hi Paula…I remember seeing that recipe. Usually if it’s in Southrn Living, it’s good! I didn’t know you could grow mushrooms from a kit…interesting!…Debbie
Hi Paula!
I found you on Blondie’s Journal…glad I did! Great recipe, by the way! Please feel free to drop by anytime! Have a good one!
I love pasta and cheese and this dish looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing…
I didn’t know you could buy a kit to grow mushrooms. My father used to go out into the woods and pick wild mushrooms. My uncle did once too and it turned out he got a poisonous one which mad him sick. I can’t tell the difference, so I just go to the supermarket for mine.