The nutty flavor of fontina and creaminess of mascarpone create a delicious updated version of mac and cheese. If your supermarket doesn’t stock mascarpone cheese, substitute full-fat cream cheese. For a dinner party, bake the pasta in individual gratin dishes for 15 minutes.
Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2006
- Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked penne
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
- 3 cups fat-free milk
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add cheeses, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Tear bread into several pieces. Place bread in a food processor; process until fine crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.
Nutritional Information
-
Calories:
423
-
Calories from fat:
30%
-
Fat:
14.3g
-
Saturated fat:
8.2g
-
Monounsaturated fat:
3.7g
-
Polyunsaturated fat:
0.7g
-
Protein:
19.3g
-
Carbohydrate:
54.6g
-
Fiber:
2.1g
-
Cholesterol:
46mg
-
Iron:
2.4mg
-
Sodium:
550mg
-
Calcium:
298mg
