Creamy Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

By Thom7747

Why This Recipe Works: We love macaroni and cheese (who doesn’t?), but sometimes we want a more adult version than the typical neon orange mac and cheese. Enter the classic Italian iteration of macaroni and cheese, pasta ai quattro formaggi, made with four cheeses and heavy cream. We set out to make a four-cheese creamy pasta casserole with great flavor, properly cooked pasta, and a crisp bread-crumb topping.

The cheese was first up for consideration; for the best flavor and texture, we used Italian fontina, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, and Parmesan cheeses. Heating the cheese and cream together made a greasy, curdled mess, so instead we built a basic white sauce (a béchamel) by cooking butter with flour and then adding cream. Combining the hot sauce and pasta with the cheese—and not cooking the cheese in the sauce—preserved the fresh flavor of the different cheeses. Knowing the pasta would spend some time in the oven, we drained it before it was al dente so it wouldn’t turn to mush when baked. Topped with bread crumbs and more Parmesan, and baked briefly in a very hot oven, our pasta dinner was silky smooth and rich but not heavy—a grown-up, sophisticated version of macaroni and cheese with Italian flavors.

Ingredients

• Bread Crumb Topping
• 3 –4 slices white sandwich bread, with crusts, torn into quarters
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, (1/2 ounce)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pasta and Cheese
• 4 ounces’ fontina cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, (1 ounce)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, (1/2 ounce)
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the topping: Pulse bread in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses (you should have about 1½ cups). Transfer to small bowl; stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Set mixture aside.

2. For the pasta: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.

3. Bring 4 quarts’ water to rolling boil in stockpot. Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; stir to separate pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk flour into butter until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in cream, increase heat to medium, and bring to boil, -stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 minute to ensure that flour cooks. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper; cover cream mixture to keep hot and set aside. When pasta is very al dente (when bitten into, pasta should be opaque and slightly underdone at very center), drain about 5 seconds, leaving pasta slightly wet. Add pasta to bowl with cheeses; immediately pour cream mixture over, then cover bowl with foil or large plate and let stand 3 minutes. Uncover bowl and stir with rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl, until cheeses are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined.

4. Transfer pasta to 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumbs, pressing down lightly. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately.