Baked Mostacholi

I have said it before, and I will say it again. My wife loves pasta. She could eat it daily! As I like pasta, it is not one of my go to dishes, however because of its diversity, I do make it often. From spaghetti, to macaroni and cheese, to a variety of pasta salads, it is always a sure winner. Well, yesterday was one of those days where I did not have anything planned, and that weekend question came about (and one of my favorites at that), which was “What should we today?”. My wife said, lets order pizza. I thought, nah, we have pizza for the kids already in the freezer, so with that thought, I was thinking, how about a pasta to go with it? A pasta with a homemade cream sauce, something comforting from a long day with the kids. Baked mostacholi it was.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of mostacholi, cooked for 10 minutes in salted water
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 2 tbsp basil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 stick of pepperoni, diced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups of milk

Begin by cooking your pasta. In the meantime, add the butter to a medium pot. Once melted, add in your flour and mix to combine. Add some salt and pepper, toss in the basil, garlic, and pour in the milk. Mix well, and continue to stir as you bring the sauce to a boil. Add the parmesan cheese, and one cup of the cheddar to your sauce. Toss in the chopped onion and pepperoni. mix well. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  To a large, greased baking pan (13×9), add the pasta and sauce and mix well. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Once cooked, add the remaining cheese to the top and bake another 3 minutes until melted. Remove from the oven, and let it set for a few minutes before digging into it.

First off, get ready to say a prayer because this dish is hard to resist seconds. If you do go in for seconds, I’m sorry that it is that good, however a few sit ups, push ups, and jumping jacks will help you feel better.

It’s comfort food. We need it. We love it.

Big question is, how do you make your matacholi?