Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio
I love mac n cheese and I love veggies in mac n cheese to make me feel better about eating said mac n cheese. This recipe had both red onions and radicchio, giving it pops of purple throughout. I had mixed feelings on radicchio in there - I like bitter foods but sometimes for me the taste of it is too pungent and takes over the dish. It seemed to mild out over a day or two and overall was delicious. Original recipe from Food & Wine Mag found here. I didn’t have goat cheese cuz #quarantine and used some anonymous stinky cheese in my fridge instead of fontina but it was delicious .
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size red onions, diced
1 large head radicchio, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick ribbons
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cups half n half
3 quarts water
1 pound uncooked short pasta (such as gemelli, casarecce, or strozzapreti)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces fontina/other stinky cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups), divided
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1-inch pieces
What To Do
First…
Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a 12-inch, high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in radicchio, garlic, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until radicchio is just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in cream; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Meanwhile…
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high. Stir in 3 tablespoons salt. Add pasta, and cook until just shy of al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Stir pasta, reserved 1 cup cooking liquid, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt into radicchio mixture. Fold in 11/2 cups fontina cheese and prosciutto; toss well.
Lastly…
Transfer pasta mixture to a 3-quart baking dish lightly greased with butter. Dot with remaining 1/2 cup fontina cheese; sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on top and bubbling around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead
Pasta can be assembled through step 2 one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
