| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 3/4 cups Parmesan
- 1 pound mini pasta shells
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 16 ounces goat cheese
- 1/2 cup pesto sauce, store-bought or home-made
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Butter a 2 quart flameproof baking dish. Preheat the broiler and arrange a rack on top.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan over low heat. In a large bowl add the garlic, basil, panko, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Add the melted butter and toss to combine. Reserve.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, put the half-and-half in a small pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Put the pot over low heat and add the half-and-half mixture. When it simmers, add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth. Add in the remaining Parmesan and whisk until melted.
- Add the pasta and stir to coat. Stir in the pesto, reserved cooking water, salt, and pepper. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the buttered baking dish and top with the panko mixture. Put under the broiler until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 892 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 106 mg |
| Sodium | 1220 mg |
Reviews
I don’t even like mac and cheese, and this stuff is killer. It’s expensive, but damn, is it worth it if you’ve got the money.
I’ve made spicy olive pesto and poblano pesto (without removing the seeds) to put in it (I increased it to 3/4 cup) and both worked very well, the creaminess of the goat cheese cools the heat very nicely.
I found it just a little dry, especially reheated, so next time I might increase the half and half to 3 cups, the parmesan to 2 cups, and the goat cheese to 24 oz.
I increased the garlic to 3 cloves. I used whatever herb was in the pesto instead of basil in the topping, parsley I believe it was.
Delicious! I made this for Easter and everyone loved it. One small addition – sautee up some mushrooms and add them to the mixture.
Very good! Next time will just simmer the half & half in the big pot after pasta is removed… it was pointless getting another saucepan dirty. And I will broil for 60 secs or less! We did 2 mins and the whole top burned!
The recipe was very tasty but extremely rich. I’d make it again but it won’t make the weekly menu.
This recipe is amazing! It was so good I was mad when it was finished :- Must make it again!
This one is going in the recipe box. Thanks Aida. Simple, delicious. How can you go wrong with goat cheese, pesto and pasta?… great combination of flavors!
This recipe is great! I will however add more goat cheese and more pesto next time. It dried out a bit while cooking but still FANTASTIC!
This was great and an easy meal to prepare! My 2 year old grandson loved it!
Oh my gosh! Not only was this dish fantastic the night we made it, it was even more tasty warmed up the next day after all the flavors had blended! Takes longer than normal mac and cheese but well worth the effort and time!
Awesome grown up version of mac and cheese. Made my own pesto with basil fresh from the garden and that along with the creaminess of the goat cheese gave it an awesome flavor. This is a new favorite! Added pine nuts to the crumb topping for some extra flavor and crunch.