Baked Pasta with Cheddar & Leeks to Serve a Crowd {Naptime Entertaining}
What’s Going on Today: Christmas craziness, is there any more I need to say?
Naptime Goals: Pull together Macaroni & Cheese with Leeks
Tonight’s Menu: Macaroni & Cheese with Leeks, Baked Chicken, Wine (and lots of it!)
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Don’t laugh when they ask Santa for a trampoline.
The next few weeks will be a little nutty for me. We are hosting our first ever Christmas with my in-law’s. I’ve always traveled for the holidays so it will be fun to stay at home this year. In order to get things accomplished I’ve been making dinners that will last me at least two nights. For example, we had this delicious casserole for two nights in a row and I baked chicken or fish to serve alongside it. It was nice having this in the fridge and ready to go at a moment’s notice. I even prepared the whole thing during naptime one afternoon so it didn’t take away from any of the Christmas activities with my daughter.
I found this recipe in the March 2009 Bon Appetit and didn’t make it until this year. I had ripped it out and placed it in my recipe binder anticipating that it would be exactly what I was in the mood for someday. That day came last winter and again this fall, and now, again, this December. I’ve made it half a dozen times and it gets better every time I make it. The leeks lend the sharp cheese a subtle sweet oniony flavor, giving the dish an upscale twist. In fact, once I became confident in it’s robust flavor I made it for a friend who just had a new baby. The meal I put together for her included this casserole, baked chicken and some desserts and side dishes. It was a yummy way to help her out and the casserole proved to travel well.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to be popping in and out of the blog while I endure enjoy all of the holiday madness. I will, of course, have many great recipes and ideas for you. I promise, everything will be fun/delicious/pretty/naptime-friendly/interesting – but not overly complicated. This season is a great time to indulge in wonderful food, but it is not the time to be shackled to the stove, or the computer for that matter. Happy Holidays!
Recipe
Baked Pasta with Cheddar & Leeks
adapted from Bon Appetit March 2009
Ingredients
| ½ | stick unsalted butter |
| 5 | cups chopped leeks, thoroughly washed and patted dry |
| ¼ | cup all-purpose flour |
| 3 ½ | cups whole milk |
| 4 | cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated |
| 1 | teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes |
| 2 | large eggs |
| 1 | pound spiral pasta |
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cook pasta in heavily salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large straight edge skillet or deep pot over medium heat. Add the chopped leeks and saute until they are tender and translucent, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Gently pour in the milk and bring it to a low simmer. Stir the milk often so that it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. Add the cheese and stir until it has melted. Then turn off the heat and remove the pan to a cool spot.
3. Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl and gently pour about 1 cup of the hot cheese mixture into the bowl, whisking continuously. This will temper the eggs so that they don’t cook when they are added to the cheese sauce. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet of cheese sauce, whisking constantly.
4. Place the cooked pasta in a 13×9 baking dish. Pour the hot cheese sauce over the pasta and stir it in to make sure it is evenly coated.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top of the pasta is browned and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
This rich dish goes well with a simple light grilled chicken or fish. It is bountiful enough to serve a crowd if you have a lot of holiday guests! The pasta can be left covered in the pan BEFORE baking for up to overnight in the refrigerator. It can also be baked and frozen for a later date.
Naptime Stopwatch
30 minutes to prepare the dish, plus baking time.
Naptime Reviews
My daughter loves this dish, even with the leeks. This is an easy sell for children as well as adults, there is no need to serve up the boxed stuff over the holidays!
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I made this two days ago and the whole family loved it! Great for a hot lunch in the lunchbox too!
Love the lunchbox idea Patti! Happy Holidays!
I am on my way over to eat the remainder of the pan!
[…] Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Leeks | The Naptime Chef […]
Oh the baked pasta looks amazing. I love how it’s so different with the addition of leeks and extra sharp cheddar (the one cheese I can’t get enough of!). I would have a really hard time not eating the whole thing, it looks sooooo good!
I’m so glad I found your site (through my food blogger friends on StumbleUpon), I’m definitely going to subsribe! 🙂
Welcome Lindsey! I love your site, too. Happy Holidays!
I agree with you, there is a fine balance between cooking, relaxing & computer time this holiday season. Most important is the memories we create with our children.
This mac n cheese with leeks sounds amazing for anytime!
Happy holidays to you and your family 🙂 XO
Thanks Marla! Have a great holiday too, and don’t spend too much time at the computer! 🙂
Hi Kelsey, I just made a lower-fat version of this yummy-sounding recipe (we have cholesterol issues) and it was delish!… Made the white sauce with skim milk and used some super sharp cheddar but also some lowfat. Also a whole grain pasta. Family pronounced it delicious. Next time I might add the sauteed leeks to my favorite low-fat mac ‘n cheese recipe from Moosewood Low at cookbook where you don’t even cook the noodles—no cooked white sauce but just buttermilk and cottage cheese blended up w/some dijon and nutmeg–the noodles cook just fine in the oven. That’s been my go-to comfort food for a few years now and sauteed leeks would dress it up without adding extra fat.
Enjoying your blog and see you at the next board meeting.
That is so cool Susan, I love your adaptations! See you in February!