Mushroom Mac and Cheese Casserole
Mac and cheese goodness baked with sautéed mushrooms for a delicious, deep flavor. Perfect with a red wine from the Lirac region of France.
- Author: Cooking Chat
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: main
- Method: stove top + baking
- Cuisine: American
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 10 ozs button mushrooms, sliced
- 5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 ozs whole wheat elbow macaroni or other short pasta shape
- 1 cup good cheese, shredded – I used an aged goat cheese (see notes)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the shallot, and cook for a few minutes until the shallot begins to soften.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to “sweat”; i.e. the mushrooms start to soften and moisture starts seeping out.
- Stir the red wine to the skillet along with the thyme, salt and pepper and stir. Raise the heat to bring the wine to a simmer, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Begin cooking the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain well and toss immediately with the mushrooms.
- Add the 1 cup of cheese to the pasta and mushrooms, stir to combine well.
- Scoop the macaroni and mushroom mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top of the pasta.
- Cover the casserole dish, and place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the casserole took bake uncovered for another 5 minutes. After that final 5 minutes, you are are ready to eat. Scoop a generous serving of the casserole onto each plate and enjoy with a good glass of red wine.
Notes
- This recipe is good for using leftover cheese you might have on hand. Use a good quality, flavorful cheese. An aged cheddar, Gruyere or Gouda could all worked well. We used an aged goat cheese that was recommended for pairing with big red wines.
Keywords: mac and cheese, mushroom pasta recipes, mushroom mac and cheese, Lirac wine pairings