Best Mac And Cheese With Asparagus And Peas Recipes

MAC AND CHEESE AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When you have 1 minute of cook time left, pour in the frozen peas. Drain and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large high-sided 10-inch saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Reduce to low heat, bring to a simmer and cook until it becomes a thin gravy, about 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and break up until smooth. Add the white pepper and ground mustard. Remove from the heat, add the bourbon if using and whisk to combine until fully incorporated. Stir in the Cheddar and American cheeses and cook until all the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
• Add the cooked pasta and peas to the cheese sauce and stir to thoroughly combine. Taste again and salt and pepper as needed before serving.

SWANKY MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot of well-salted boiling water, blanch asparagus. (That is, dump the asparagus into boiling water for just a minute, and then take them out with some tongs and put them in a colander. Run cold water over them so they stop cooking.) Use the same water to cook your pasta, according to package directions. Toss a little olive oil into the cooked pasta so it does not stick together and set aside.
• 2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook lobsters for approximately 6-8 minutes. When shells are bright red, remove from water, and place in ice water or run under cold water to stop the lobster from cooking any further. Remove claws, shoulder, and tail meat, and set aside.
• 3. Dice celery, onions, and carrots, grate Fontina and Gruyère cheeses, and set aside.
• Sauce:
• 1. In a large pot, sauté diced veggies in olive oil.
• 2. When veggies become translucent pour in white wine and add your bay leaf. Let the wine reduce by half and then add the heavy cream. Let the cream come just to a simmer and reduce to medium heat.
• 3. After this reduces for approximately 20 minutes, add both cheeses (reserve a little for later). Make sure to stir frequently. You want the sauce just hot enough to melt the cheese, but if it gets any hotter, you'll run the risk of the cream and oils separating.
• 4. Once the cheese is incorporated, season with salt and pepper to your liking. Go easy on the salt, though - it does not take much to release the flavor of this cheese sauce. You can use white or black pepper, whichever you prefer.
• 5. After seasoning, strain the cheese sauce through a medium-to-small mesh sieve or colander.
• To the bowl:
• 1. In a large sauté or baking pan over medium heat, add your cheese sauce and lobster. Once heated add your pasta and the little bit of cheeses you reserved. You should get a nice mac and cheese consistency. You can always add more cheese.
• 2. The final step is to add sliced asparagus just before plating. This will ensure that they remain nice and green.
• 3. Once the mac and cheese is in the bowl, here's your final touch, and the most important! Drizzle a modest amount of truffle oil over the entire dish. If you do have access to white truffles, 3-4 slices on top is divine. Enjoy.

ORECCHIETTE WITH ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and let it sizzle a minute. Add the asparagus and toss to coat in the oil. Cook and toss until the asparagus just begins to soften, about 5 minutes (add a splash of pasta water if the garlic is in danger of burning). Cover with a lid.
• Uncover the asparagus, and at the same time add the orecchiette to the pasta water. Add the peas to the asparagus and season with the salt. Toss to combine and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallions, stir, and add 1 1/2 cups of pasta water. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• When the pasta is al dente, remove with a spider directly to the sauce. Add the parsley, drizzle with some olive oil, and toss to coat the pasta in the sauce, adding a little pasta water if it seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle with the grated cheese, toss, garnish with pea tendrils and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND SWISS MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Move a rack to the middle of the oven. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large pot set over high heat bring 1 gallon of water with 2 tablespoons kosher salt to a boil. Add the penne and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions, stirring occasionally. The pasta will be slightly underdone. Use a measuring cup or ladle to remove 1/3 cup pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta into a colander. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture starts to thicken like heavy cream and then becomes almost pudding-like, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth, the sauce will be very thick. Add the nutmeg and season with some salt and pepper.
• Combine the asparagus, pasta, reserved 1/3 cup pasta water and cheese sauce and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with a layer of the cheese slices. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into 1-inch cubes. Sprinkle the panko over the cheese slices, and top with the butter cubes. Bake until the top is golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

CHEESY ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler, with rack 6 inches from heating element. Brush 4 small (8-ounce capacity) gratin dishes with butter. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook according to package directions 1 minute less than al dente. Add asparagus and cook 1 minute more; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat milk in a medium pot over medium-high until just simmering. Add cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup each cheddar and Gruyere; add remaining cheeses and butter to pot and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and asparagus; stir to coat. Divide mixture among prepared dishes; sprinkle with reserved cheeses.
• Broil, rotating dishes once, until pasta is crisp and browned in places, 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.