Fontina Mac and Cheese

You know what’s one of the best things about making mac and cheese for dinner? Leftovers for lunch the next day. All morning you get to look forward to a warm, creamy bowl of cheesy pasta. (Plus a salad or some other fruit or veggies to balance things out, right?)

This is one of the easiest mac and cheese recipes you’ll find. It doesn’t require you to make a roux and a cream sauce for the cheese; the shredded Fontina cheese is simply mixed into the hot cooked pasta. This works because Fontina melts really well. Oh, and did I mention that the mac and cheese is delicious? This is one of the three mac and cheese recipes that we regularly make, along with this whole wheat version and this make-ahead recipe.

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Fontina Mac and Cheese

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. small or medium pasta shells
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup half and half
• 8 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded
• Salt
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.
2. Meanwhile, dice 4 tablespoons of the butter and place in a large mixing bowl. Warm the half and half in a small saucepan or the microwave. Cover to keep warm.
3. Once the pasta is cooked, add to the bowl with the butter and toss to coat well. Stir in the warm half and half and the Fontina until the cheese starts to melt. Mix in salt to taste, and add the nutmeg.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Mix in the panko breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan. Toss with a fork to coat evenly with the butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the pasta in the baking dish.
5. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats.