Here's a new recipe for mac and cheese that you'll love, and not just because it's flavor-packed.
The big advantage is that it's so easy to make, all in one skillet without any need to pre-cook the macaroni.
The recipe is from "One Pan, Whole Family" (Chronicle Books) by Carla Snyder. This is a successor to an earlier book, "One Pan, Two Plates," which also aims at fast and practical cooking.
This time, Snyder (above) tells how to cook in a single pan a meal that will serve an entire family--and in 45 minutes or less.
Her Cheesy Mac (photo at the top and recipe below) takes 45 minutes, from the chopping and sautéing to the finished dish.
This Thai steak salad takes only 30 minutes. Just 20 of these are hands-on work.
Deviled roast chicken with bacon and Brussels sprouts hash is done in 45 minutes.
Cheesy angel hair pasta requires only 30 minutes of your time. Again, the pasta cooks in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Snyder suggests using fresh pasta for ultimate speed, but the recipe can be adapted to dried by adding a little more liquid and increasing the cooking time slightly.
This big dish of curry roasted carrots and lentils with orange-yogurt sauce is a complete vegetarian meal, done in 30 minutes.
And for a salad, try this combination of roasted beets with oranges, goat cheese and walnuts, a 45-minute effort.
Each recipe is tabbed at the top with the amount of cooking time, hands-on work and number of servings. Each comes with suggested add-ons for adult taste buds and for extra-hungry kids.
Each also includes a beverage recommendation, from wines and beers to non-alcoholic drinks for youngsters. For the Cheesy Mac, she suggests an off-dry Riesling or a cocktail of carrot juice, pineapple juice and sparkling water.
Snyder presented these dishes at Melissa's Produce, where she signed books and did a cooking demo. Above, she's making the Thai steak salad.
For more about her work, her other books and recipes, go to her website, ravenous kitchen.com
CHEESY MAC WITH SPINACH AND HAM
From "One Pan, Whole Family" by Carla Snyder
1 onion
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 1 tablespoon melted
5 ounces baby spinach
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces Cheddar or Jarlsburg cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
10 ounces elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
4 ounces chopped ham
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
On a large cutting board, mince the onion. Combine the milk, half-and-half and mustard in a measuring cup and set aside.
Heat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat and add 4 tablespoons butter. When the butter melts, add the onion and saute until it softens, about 2 minutes, then add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Saute until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then stir in the milk mixture, stirring constantly. Be sure to scrape up any flour stuck on the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes, and then stir in the cheese.
Continue to stir until the cheese melts and then stir in the broth, macaroni and ham. Make sure the pasta is submerged in the liquid, pressing it down. Cover the pan with an ovenproof lid and bake until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
While the pasta bakes, stir together the panko and remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter with a fork. Remove the lid and sprinkle the panko topping over the pasta. Switch the oven setting to broil. Return the pan to the second highest rack, and broil until the topping is browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve the mac and cheese directly from the pan at the table so that it stays good and hot.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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