She Makes and Bakes
  • Home
  • About
  • Ramblings
  • Recipe Index
  • What We're Eating
  • High-Altitude Baking

Shells and White Cheddar

5/15/2012

 
Picture
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
Print this recipe

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 
Picture
You may also like:
Loading...

Cheesy Pesto Orzo

4/26/2012

 
Picture
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
Print this recipe
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
Picture
Forward>>

     Welcome!

    Cooking is fun and easy at high altitude, but baking can be frustrating. About 90% of my recipes work everywhere, but some are adjusted so us mountain dwellers can enjoy baked goods from scratch. I hope you find great recipes on here for your family, and I'll let you know if any are adjusted for high altitude. 

    Stay Updated!

    Add to your Reader:

    Get new posts delivered to your inbox:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Bars
    Beef
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Brownies
    Cake
    Cheese
    Chicken
    Chocolate
    Cinnamon
    Cookies
    Crackers
    Cupcakes
    Dessert
    Do It Yourself
    Drinks
    Fruit
    Ground Beef
    High Altitude
    How To
    Ice Cream
    Italian
    Main Courses
    Mexican
    Muffins
    Oatmeal
    Pasta
    Pastry
    Pie
    Pizza
    Pork
    Project Pastry Queen
    Pumpkin
    Salad
    Sauces
    Side Dishes
    Snacks
    Soup
    Sourdough
    Steak
    Vegetables

    My featured recipes on NoshOnIt

    Some Good Reads!

    Annie's Eats
    Bake at 350
    Climbing Grier Mountain
    Confections of a Foodie Bride
    How Sweet It Is
    I Am Baker
    Macaroni and Chesecake
    Pinch of Yum
    Pink Parsley
    Smells Like Home
    Smitten Kitchen
    Sunny Side Up
    The Curvy Carrot
    The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie
    The Pioneer Woman Cooks
All content copyright 2012-2013 She Makes and Bakes.