Vermont Cheddar Shells and Cheese

By Addie

I have a confession to make. I have never been able to make a good macaroni and cheese. I know. I'm so sorry. Can we still be friends?




You see, this story goes back some time...back to a time when I wasn't as comfortable putting together my own recipes, a time when I would trust other people's recipes more than my own instincts. Basically...a time way before I became the Sweet Pea Chef.

[insert inspirational music and spotlight here]




I must have gone through a dozen or so recipes for macaroni and cheese -- some from very popular, well-respected chefs, others from random recipes off the internet -- in my quest to find the macaroni and cheese recipe. Why was it so hard for me? Was macaroni and cheese destined to be my Achilles heel? My one and only Achilles heel (ha!)?




Not today. Not this Sweet Pea Chef. No longer would I make my family suffer through dry, crunchy, mushy, stringy (I think you get the idea) macaroni and cheese. I was going to do this and it was going to be good. And creamy. And mine.



And, you know what? Macaroni and cheese really isn't that difficult -- or scary. It's actually very simple. Basic steps breakdown: (1) make a roux (mixture of butter and flour), (2) add milk, (3) add cheese, (4) add noodles.

I mean, why has this always haunted me as a dish I couldn't perfect?




I decided to change things up a bit with this macaroni and cheese. I didn't want to settle for "the usual." Instead, I chose to use a mixture of Vermont Cheddar and American White cheeses to give it a rich, creamy texture. I substituted pasta shells for macaroni because Dustin and I both prefer them. I also decided to saute finely chopped onion with the roux to give it some flavor. And it worked perfectly.

(A Sweet Pea Chef)

Ingredients

• 12 oz. uncooked pasta shells
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz. Vermont cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 oz. American white cheese, crumbled
• kosher salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Boil pasta shells in a large pot of heavily salted water according to the directions on the box. Remove shells from heat and drain once al dente (just tender). Try not to overcook the shells because this will make them too mushy later.

Melt butter in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add flour and stir to incorporate. Continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for another 2 minutes, or until thickened (this is what's called creating a "roux"). Add milk and heavy cream slowly into the roux, whisking constantly. Stir together until creamy and heated through.

Add cheeses in small handfuls, taking care to stir until all the cheese is melted before adding more. Heat through. The sauce will look quite liquidy. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Add the pasta shells and stir well to coat. Heat through, stirring frequently. Serve while hot.

Enjoy!