Best Creamy Macaroni With Sage Recipes

SAGE BUTTER MACARONI AND FOUR CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to broil and arrange rack in top. Butter a flameproof 9 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter and mix in a medium bowl with 1 cup of the Parmigiano and all the bread crumbs until thoroughly moistened; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for half the time indicated on package.
• Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add sage and cook until crisp and butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until pasta is ready. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.
• Return pasta to pot and place over low heat. Stir in sage butter, reserved pasta water, remaining 3 cups Parmigiano, Gruyere, Cheddar, mascarpone, and salt, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly until cheeses are evenly melted and the pasta looks well coated. Turn pasta into baking dish and evenly top with bread crumb mixture. Place under broiler until mixture bubbles and top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

PASTA WITH BUTTER, SAGE AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it. Cook pasta until it is tender, but not quite done.
• Meanwhile, place butter in a skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta; turn heat to medium, and add sage. Cook until butter turns nut-brown and sage shrivels, then turn heat to a minimum.
• When the pasta is just about done, scoop out a cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta. Immediately add it to the butter-sage mixture, and raise heat to medium. Add 3/4 cup of the water, and stir; the mixture will be loose and a little soupy. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until some of the water is absorbed and the pasta is perfectly done.
• Stir in cheese; the sauce will become creamy. Thin it with a little more water if necessary. Season liberally with pepper and salt to taste, and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

CREAMY SAGE BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat; add the sage leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and chicken broth and cook until hot; about 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

RAVIOLI WITH SAGE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
• Add ravioli to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan.

EASY FRESH PASTA WITH SAGE BROWNED BUTTER

Steps:

• For the fresh tagliatelle: Bring a medium stockpot of salted water to a boil.
• Combine the pasta flour and eggs in a food processor or the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until a ball of dough forms. Continue to knead for 3 minutes, either by hand or in the mixer, so that the dough develops elasticity and silkiness. Dust the ball of dough with "00" pasta flour, seal it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling it out, if time allows (see Cook's Note). Alternatively, you can let the dough rest for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. The color sometimes fades after that, although the dough is still usable for up to 3 days.
• For sheeting and cutting by hand, use a rolling pin to flatten the pasta sheet into an oval about 1/16-inch thick. Flour it generously with "00" pasta flour and roll it into a cylindrical tube from short end to short end. Use a chef's knife to cut the cylinder into 3/8-inch strips. Unroll and separate the strips into strands of tagliatelle.
• For sheeting with a pasta machine, sheet the pasta to about 1/16-inch thick, and cut into strips about 3/8-inch wide. On a pasta machine, this is about the third-thinnest setting on the sheeter and utilizes the tagliatelle cutter.
• If time allows, hang the pasta at room temperature for 30 minutes or until it feels leathery. If cooking immediately, generously dust the tagliatelle with plenty of semolina flour to prevent it from becoming gummy.
• Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon semolina flour to the large pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
• For the sage browned butter: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saute pan. Continue cooking the butter until it turns a light golden brown, keeping a vigilant eye on it. Add the sage and continue cooking until the butter turns medium golden brown and smells nutty, about 2 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat for 1 minute.
• Add the nutmeg and vinegar and return the pan to medium-high heat, stirring to combine. Immediately add the pasta water and Parmigiano and whisk until the cheese disappears and the sauce starts to thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Drain the pasta, toss the sauce with the pasta and serve immediately, topping each plate with additional cheese, if desired.

CREAMY WEEKNIGHT MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until just barely al dente; drain.
• Meanwhile, bring milk up to a simmer in a large pot. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Reduce heat to low, add cream cheese, and whisk until it's completely blended and no lumps remain. Add Cheddar cheese and butter, whisking until everything is completely melted. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper.
• Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened and is coating each piece of pasta nicely, 2 to 3 minutes; sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Season again with more salt and pepper before serving.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
• In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup grated Cheddar for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated Cheddar, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
• Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.