Mushroom Mac & Cheese

When I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats I knew that I wanted to try it, but that I would never be able to make the exact recipe. Even though Redner's is great for carrying the non-standard ingredients that I need, they don't always have what I need on the week that I need it. Example: Gruyere cheese. The recipe calls for shredded Gruyere. That would be like finding a winning lottery ticket 5 minutes before the drawing. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to find all of the fresh herbs that the recipe called for either.

So I decided to make do with what I could find and see how it turned out.
 




Mushroom Mac & Cheese

Adapted from: Annie's Eats
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Ingredients:
3/4 box elbow macaroni
6 tbs. unsalted butter, divided
1 lb. mushrooms, roughly chopped (baby bella/cremini)
1/2 small onion, diced 
2 tbs. minced garlic
1 tbs. white wine
3 tbs.  all purpose flour
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
6 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbs. bacon bits (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Annie's recipe calls for a whole box of pasta (which I made but was just too much for the dish), a shallot instead of onion, 2 tbs. of all the fresh herbs, no paprika, white wine vinegar, whole milk, shredded Gruyere and shredded white cheddar. Honestly, I didn't even look for the white cheddar, I just grabbed a bag of the finely shredded cheddar and went with it.

Directions:
1. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to directions for al dente. Drain the pasta and set it to the side.
2. Melt 2 tbs. of butter into a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and onion and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan.
3. Remove from heat and add in the white wine. Set to the side. Preheat the oven to 350.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tbs. of butter over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour to form a paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until the mixture is golden. Stir in the herbs and cook for a few more seconds. Whisk in the milk and cook until until the sauce begins to thicken and simmers. Remove from the heat and add in the cheeses. Whisk until completely smooth.
5. Add the mushroom mixture into the cheeses and stir until combined. I found it easier to add the noodles into the pot and stir until they were coated with the cheese. Pour into the greased baking dish.
6. Melt the last tbs. of butter (I used the microwave to save another dish) and add the panko breadcrumbs to it. Toss until coated. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta.
7. Put the baking dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is browned. Let sit up to 15 minutes before serving.