“Hey quick, come over and check out this béchamel sauce” I yelled to Matthew.
“What?” he responded.
“Get over here, you have to check out this sauce. It’s so beautiful!” I demanded. Nicely.
Begrudgingly he arrived at the stove. “What?”
“What? Did you just what this sauce? Look at it!”.
“What?”
Am I married to a man who can’t see and appreciate the beauty of this white sauce? “What? What again? Look at it! Look at how beautifully the milk has cooked making it oh so creamy.”
He nods.
“Get out of here. Right now! No sauce for you!”
Sometimes other people just can’t see the beauty in things, but what are you going to do?
I am obsessed with the béchamel sauce that holds together this macaroni and cheese dish. You’d think by looking at it the dish is full of cheese, but there is only 1/4 cup of cheese in this dish! The sauce is made slowly cooking the milk until it turns creamy, patience is key here. The sauce is velvety and oh so rich making it hold together your elbow noodles perfectly.
.
Ingredients
- 2 oz fontina grated
- 2 oz Parmesan grated
- 12 oz penne or macaroni elbows
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- sea salt and black pepper
- grated nutmeg
Instructions
- To make the bechamel sauce, heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat.
- Melt the butter, remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the flour. Put the pan back on the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.
- Remove the pan from the heat an add the milk gradually. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the sauce comes to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and a generous amount of nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
- To finish the sauce, leave cooking on low for 10-15 minutes, only stirring occasionally. This long, slow cooking makes it a rich sauce you would not be able to achieve if you cooked for a shorter time.
- Add the cheeses to the sauce.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, as instructed on box. Drain.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat a shallow baking dish with a little of the sauce. Dress the pasta with about 2/3 of the bechamel and transfer to the prepared dish. Spread the rest of the sauce all over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend while cooking a little.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
An ultimate comfort food! How could one to not love it!?
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
This soooooo resonates with me! my bf thinks I’m crazy for having such an appreciation for food. I’ve legit cried in a famer’s market because it looked so beautiful lol
yummychunklet says
Oh, how cheesey and delicious! I want a bowlful now!
Joanne says
That sauce is a beauty!! How could ANYONE not have appreciated it!!
Jamie@Milk N Cookies says
I’m always looking for good cookbook recommendations, so it’s really helpful to hear that you’re so pleased with this cookbook. I think it’ll have to go on my ‘to buy’ list. And that bechamel sauce DOES look amazing — incredibly thick and creamy, just as you said! Fellow mac ‘n’ cheese lover here, and I’m anxious to try this for myself!
Ruby @ The Ruby Red Apron says
Wow that looks stunning! Yum!
And I gotta have that cookbook!
Alice says
Nothing says “comfort me” more than pasta & cheese. Toasting the top makes it all the more goey and yum 🙂
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Pamela, this looks delicious! And, omg…I do the same thing and call my husband over to look at, taste or smell what I’m baking or cooking because I think something is stunningly beautiful. Men! Hmph. I like the “no sauce for you!” response a la Seinfeld. 😉 Thank you for sharing and for the rec on the cookbook. I need a copy, stat! Have a great week, my friend!
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
That book is so gorgeous! I want one!! I love how it looks weathered and old!
Sometimes I get ridiculously excited about how something turns out, but my husband just doesn’t get as pumped as I am. Yes, it can be a let down. I’m going to start saying, “No soup for you!” 🙂
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
dead. I’m dead. This pasta al gratin has killed me!!! SO CHEESY! And I agree that béchamel sauce is beautiful. Silly boys.
marcie says
This has to be about the creamiest mac n cheese I’ve seen. Yum!
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
Oh yum, I’m loving this sauce and the whole dish for that matter.
Debra says
Shame, shame. I hope Matthew appreciates a good white sauce now!
Mary Frances says
So creamy and decadent! Looks perfect.
Koko says
It really is a beautiful, basic, Italian recipe. I love the look of this cookbook….I’ll have to keep my eye out for it. Those photos are stunning. Well, if Matthew can’t appreciate this bechamel, I sure will!!! Thanks for the heads up on Italian Kitchen.
Monica says
I love just the word “bechamel”! And I love anything with elbow pasta! This looks so hearty and so good.
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
Mac n cheese has my heart. Love this recipe!
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
I’ve got bookmark that cookbook! Looks fantastic. I, am also a major lush for mac and cheese, and this one looks SO cream and delicious. I’m kind of dying inside!
Ashley says
Bahaha I do that to my husband all the time – call him over to look at how pretty some food I’m making is and he just kinda stares at me : ) Men. lol This pasta sounds wonderful!
Shashi says
What a gorgeous cookbook! Those peppers and cake – wow! That is some amazing photography and design skills for sure!
And thanks for sharing this mac and cheese recipe – that sauce does look gorgeous – just like the book!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
That cookbook is really pretty and I really like the rustic look! It would make baking even more relaxing, looking at those photos while stirring (and tasting!) Haha, men just don’t appreciate the beauty in foods … just like we don’t appreciate the beauty of cars and tools. 🙂 Are you back on dairy now?
Pamela says
I am Mary Frances! Full dairy ahead! 😛
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
I would have sang praises to you if you would have yelled at me! Men just don’t get it! Looks marvelous!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
i made mac and cheese yesterday as well with butternut squash and nutritional yeast, it was soooo creamy! that cookbook looks so nice,,,
Sophie says
I love Anna del Conte’s books a lot. A delicious recipe,….mmmmmmmmm. Love it too.
Pam says
The cookbook looks great! I am loving this creamy and cheesy pasta. It looks terrific.
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent says
Looks absolutely delicious! It would be perfect for a chilly day like today.
ela@GrayApron says
Simple, beautiful and …Italian! Pasta and béchamel…pure comfort. 🙂 ela
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
I’m drooling, Pamela … at the recipe AND at the book! I love cookbooks that can become coffee table books. And I know what you mean about the dust jacket – much better without! This is going on my cookbook wishlist!
cheri says
Loving this mac n cheese dish, looks so creamy and divine. Funny how husbands do not seem inspired by the same things we do, oh well (sigh)
Suzanne says
Mmmm.. yummy a good bechamel is a thing of beauty.