Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Cheesy Pasta




















I suppose this is essentially mac and cheese, but I just made up my own thing based on what I had in my kitchen. I wanted to make something quick for my son that would fill him up for dinner. He loves picking up these mini pasta wheels, or trying to "stab" them with his fork! I usually have some already cooked in the fridge waiting for the addition of some kind of sauce. Cheese is a big hit with him, and I also mixed in some yummy veggies with the cheese sauce. I tried a little bit and LOVED it! Anything with pasta and cheese is so comforting! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup white mushrooms, chopped (any mushroom would be fine)
1/8 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
2 turns fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
small pasta (I used the piccolini, or mini wheels but any small pasta would be fine)

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes to pan and saute until soft. In a separate saucepan, warm milk over medium heat. Whisk in cheese and continue stirring until it is combined (and starts looking like a cheese sauce). Add sweet potato puree and stir together until sauce is smooth. Add onion mixture to the cheese sauce and stir until evenly distributed. Add pepper to taste and stir in. Pour over pasta and enjoy! Cheese mixture makes about 1-1/2 cups. 

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2 comments:

Suesbooks said...

I tried this and added a little bit of cooked zucchini and broccoli flowerettes for more color and balanced dinner. Kids love the piccolini and mini wheels. There are multi colored ones, bowties and small shells also are good. They loved it. Thank you for sharing.

mamammelloves said...

Sounds good with the extra veggies! I'll try it your way next time... and maybe try to sneak in some meat too! :)