TL/DR – Denver Mac and Cheese. – This rich, decadent version of mac and cheese is inspired by a Denver omelet. It has ham, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic and miso gruyere cheese sauce. –
If you are looking for an easy weeknight recipe, this is not it. However, this recipe is worth every minute it takes to put it together. Homemade macaroni and cheese is already labor intensive, so why not throw in some sautéed ham, mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic? Why not make the béchamel cheese sauce with a miso butter base and lots of gruyere cheese?
Start by boiling about 10 ounces of dry elbow macaroni. As it cooks, sauté diced ham, onions and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil with minced garlic and thinly sliced mushrooms. After most of the moisture has cooked off, hit the mixture with a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
Drain the macaroni and set it aside in a large bowl. To this bowl, add the sautéed veggie and ham mixture once the vinegar has cooked off. Make a béchamel sauce using more butter than flour to create a loose roux, then add a couple of tablespoons of miso to the roux. Allow this to cook for about 30 seconds, then slowly add milk and whisk the lumps out. Bring this to a low boil and allow it to cook for about five minutes, then remove it from the heat and add a ton of finely shredded gruyere cheese.
Mix the cheese sauce with the pasta and the sautéed veggies and ham. It should be loose, not at all thick. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated in cooking spray and bake it for 30 minutes. Sprinkle additional shredded cheddar once it is finished baking and then broil it for about 3 minutes or until it is just brown and crispy on top.
Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before serving it.
For a less laborious but intensely delicious pasta recipe, try Pasta with Spinach Herb Sauce.
Denver Mac and Cheese
A decadent mac and cheese inspired by a Denver omelet, this dish has diced ham, mushrooms, peppers and a miso gruyere sauce.
Ingredients
- 10 oz elbow macaroni
- 1 T plus 1/2 t kosher salt, divided
- 1 1/2 c diced ham
- 1 c diced red bell pepper, about one large
- 8 oz thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 c diced yellow onion
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T white wine vinegar
- 3 T butter
- 2 T flour
- 2 T white or yellow miso paste
- 3 c 2 percent milk
- 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
- 2 c finely shredded gruyere cheese from an 8 oz chunk
- 1 c finely shredded cheddar or cheddar jack mix
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Step 2 Bring the pasta water to a boil in a large sauce pan with 1 T kosher salt. As it comes to a boil, dice and slice the ham and vegetables.
- Step 3 Boil the elbow macaroni for one minute less than the package instructions, about 7 min. Drain and place it into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Step 4 As the macaroni cooks, sauté the ham, mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic and 1/2 t kosher salt in the olive oil on medium high heat. Allow the majority of the moisture to cook off, which takes about 10 minutes. At the end of the sautéing process, add the white wine vinegar and allow that to cook mostly off for about another minute. Place the sautéed veggies and ham in the large bowl with the macaroni and set it aside.
- Step 5 In the same saucepan that cooked the macaroni, melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the flour and whisk it continuously to create loose roux and cook it for about a minute.
- Step 6 Add the miso and whisk continuously for about thirty seconds, then add 1/2 cup of the milk and carefully whisk it well to break up lumps. Slowly add the remainder of the milk and continue to whisk it so that the lumps all disappear. Bring this to a low boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. As soon as it begins to bubble, continue to stir it and cook it for two minutes.
- Step 7 Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add the finely shredded gruyere and stir it well. Pour it over the macaroni and the veggie ham mixture in the large bowl and stir it well. It should be relatively loose. Taste a spoonful of the mixture and add a touch more salt if necessary.
- Step 8 Pour the mixture into the prepared 9×13 dish and then bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove it, sprinkle the finely shredded cheddar on and then broil it for 2 to 3 minutes, watching it closely so that it only just browns and doesn’t burn. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before serving it.
