This is one of my favorite stove top macaroni and cheese recipes. Instead of boiling the noodles in water, you cook them in milk. It's very easy to do, and there's only three ingredients. Have you ever had Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar? This is that but better...and just as easy. I used to eat Pasta Roni a lot...until one horrifying day. This is a gross story; I'm sorry in advance. But maybe I also can warn you in case you eat these mixes. Do not EVER cook one if it's past the expiration date.

One day when I was in college, I made an expired box of Pasta Roni. I really didn't pay attention to those pesky expiration dates back then. Wrong move. So there I am in my blissful ignorance boiling the noodles in the water, and creepy crawly bugs started trying to crawl out of the boiling hot water. It still gives me the chills, and this was years ago. I did what any other normal girl would do. I slammed the lid on the pan, took it off the burner, and called my dad. I made him drive 15 minutes to take care of the pan with the bugs. I was about to throw the whole pan away! In all fairness, I think my dad was planning to come over anyway for something, but I don't think he was planning to do my dishes. It took me a few years to eat the box mixes again but I did. Now that I found this recipe, I'm good. No more boxes of Pasta Roni...and no more bugs. Sick. 

Anyway, this is a great stove top mac and cheese recipe, and I'm excited to try a lot of different varieties. Next time I'm going to add a garlic clove in the milk while the noodles are boiling, and I'm going to try different cheeses. Boiling the noodles in the milk makes it so creamy and delicious, and it's a great treat! 

Shells and White Cheddar Recipe
Makes about 4 side dish servings
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2 cups milk
2 cups shells
1 cup white cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and pasta to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often and making sure that the milk doesn't boil. Once the pasta is al dente, remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted. If you like it a little creamier, you can add more milk. Add salt to taste.
 
Source: Adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake 

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Cheese, pesto, and pasta. It doesn't get much better than this. The only thing that could have made this better would have been if I could have made fresh pesto. However, I don't have the basil reserves yet so I used a jar of pesto. I wrote parmesan cheese in the recipe, but I actually used half parmesan and half gruyere. You could also use fontina or monterey jack with good results. If you really like pesto, you can add more than I said. Make it your own. This is a great side dish, and since I seem to struggle on new side dish ideas, I'm glad I found this one!

This is an easy recipe to make, and it's done in one pot. I served this with some Italian sausage patties and garlic bread. I love orzo because I can "trick" my anti-pasta husband into eating pasta. It's a win for me. If I would have done this recipe with spaghetti....forget about it. He never would have eaten it.

Cheesy Pesto Orzo
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Makes 4 servings

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup orzo
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons pesto
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the orzo, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender and the liquid is absorbed. When the pasta is done, add the cheese and stir until it's melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta is too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of broth or milk to get it creamier.

Adapted from Sprinkled with Flour