I adore delicious mac and cheese in a skillet. ditalini pasta baked in a rich, creamy sauce along with a ton of spinach and caramelized cremini mushrooms.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 50 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 15 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 3 cups ditalini pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium shallots, diced
- sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) package sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 (8 ounce) package fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 tablespoon grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, or more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ditalini in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until not quite done, about 9 minutes (it will continue to cook in the oven.) Strain and set aside.
- In the meantime, melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add pepper flakes and garlic powder; let bubble for about 1 minute. Add onion, shallots, and a good pinch of salt and pepper; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme sprigs, and another generous pinch of salt and pepper; cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add spinach and another pinch of salt; cover and cook until spinach has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and mustard powder; stir until it has been fully absorbed. Cook and stir for 1 more minute.
- Slowly pour in milk, making sure to scrape the bottom for any crusty bits; continue until all of the milk has been absorbed. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir until the rapid bubbling stops. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Remove the sauce from the heat. Pluck out and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Fold in cooked ditalini until everything is nice and combined.
- Whisk bread crumbs, garlic, 1 tablespoon Grana Padana cheese, thyme leaves, and a good pinch of salt and pepper for topping together in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil at a time, working it into the crumbs until they are moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle over the skillet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 420 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 51 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 323 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This was amazingly super delicious! Very rich. I didn’t have any milk on hand so used whipping cream. And I didn’t have spinach so used broccoli. Really – this is one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever made. And nice to use ditalini pasta instead of macaroni.
OK! So, I haven’t made this yet, but I will! It sounds delish. But, I had to say the way you wrote your recipe is fantastic! You season every layer of ingredients as you go! So impressed! Do I hear Food Network calling?