Italian Pasta Recipes

Sarah and Tom arrived Friday evening with Ben and Lucy for the last-of-summer weekend. Ben starts kindergarten in two weeks. Lucy starts day care. Sarah says this is fine and that she is prepared for it and then says it with the tone of voice that means she is not entirely prepared for it, which is the correct tone. No one is entirely prepared for the first day of school. Not the children, not the parents. I was not prepared for it in thirty-eight years of being on the receiving end of those children. You meet them on the first day and something begins that was not there before. It is the right kind of unprepared.

I made Ben's favorite for Saturday dinner — macaroni and cheese, the baked version, which requires a proper bechamel and real cheese (sharp cheddar, aged, grated fresh) and a bread crumb topping that goes golden in the oven. This is not a dish I would have admitted making in public at forty-five. At sixty-six I make it without apology because it is what a five-year-old asked for and because I have been making it since David was five and I know how to do it right. There is nothing wrong with making excellent macaroni and cheese. There is something wrong with being embarrassed about it.

Lucy helped Helen make oatmeal cookies. "Help" at two and a half means: standing on the step stool holding the wooden spoon while Helen guides her hands, eating small amounts of dough at regular intervals, and declaring "more" when the mixing stops. Helen is patient in exactly the way that grandmothers are patient, which is different from the way mothers are patient. She knows how it ends. The cookies will be fine. The child will remember the cookies. The details in between do not matter.

They left Sunday afternoon. Ben, standing on the porch, said, "Grampy, I'll miss the cookies." I said I will save some. He said okay. This is a contract. I intend to honor it.

Ben asked for macaroni and cheese, and that is what he got — but the version I have been making since his father was the same age, which is to say the baked version, the one with a proper bechamel and a crust that goes golden in the oven. What follows is that recipe, written down the way I actually make it, because I have been asked enough times now that it seems worth doing. It is Italian pasta the way Italian pasta should be: simple materials, handled correctly, and entirely without embarrassment.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni or medium pasta shells
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups sharp aged cheddar, grated fresh (about 10 oz)
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated fresh
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for topping)
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 2 minutes short of package directions — it will finish in the oven. Drain and set aside.
Build the bechamel. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes until the mixture is pale gold and smells faintly nutty. Do not rush this step.
Add the milk. Pour in the warm milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously. Continue whisking over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Season and add cheese. Remove from heat. Stir in dry mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the cheddar in three additions, stirring until fully melted and smooth after each. Reserve 1/4 cup Parmesan for the topping; stir the remainder into the sauce.
Combine and transfer. Fold the drained pasta into the cheese sauce until evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread level.
Make the topping. Combine breadcrumbs, reserved Parmesan, and melted butter in a small bowl. Toss until the crumbs are evenly coated. Scatter the topping in an even layer over the pasta.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Scatter parsley over the top if using.

Nutrition (per serving)

Italian Pasta Recipes — The Baked Kind Ben Would Approve Of