This luxurious Creamy Artichoke Mac ‘N’ Cheese is the epitome of comfort food! It is utterly creamy and full of flavor. The artichoke hearts add a bit more richness in the most delightful way,
This weekend we had the honor of attending Paloma’s 5th birthday party and boy was it ever cute. Paloma is very creative and played a big part in the planning of her own party. The party theme was my little pony and she insisted that her and her dad design and build a custom my little pony piñata, which turned out amazing. There was a fun snow globe art project set up for all the kids. I asked Jill where did she come up with the idea and she said “It was all Paloma! She saw a YouTube video on how to make your own snow globes and asked if we could get the supplies for her party.” Jill glued a small plastic pony to the inside of the jar’s lid; then she had the kids add different colors, shapes and sizes of glitter into the jar and then she filled them up with baby oil. The baby oil lets the glitter fall slowly. Everyone was very impressed! Paloma also requested rainbow cupcakes with glittery frosting which Jill had to make from scratch. They were the fanciest glitter rainbow cupcakes I have ever seen! The highlight of the party was a pony dressed as a princess unicorn. All the kids stood in line to ride the pony, I mean Unicorn. Paloma said, “This is the best birthday party EVER”
This Creamy Artichoke Mac ‘n’ Cheese is great with a Pinot Gris or a Soave.
Creamy Artichoke Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe:
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 Artichoke Hearts - cooked - hearts roughly chopped you can use 2 Cans if you prefer
- 1/2 White Onion - diced
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 6 Tablespoons White Rice Flour
- 5 Cups Milk
- 2 Cups Pecorino - finely grated
- 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese - grated
- 8 oz. Container Mascarpone
- 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Pound Brown Rice Elbow Macaroni
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
Artichokes
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Cut the stem off the artichoke.
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Place them in a large pot of boiling water and place a wet towel on top to keep them wet and immersed during cooking.
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Boil for about 35 – 50 minutes, depending on the size.
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Don’t cover with a lid or they can become bitter.
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Check on water levels.
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Test a leaf to see if it’s ready, it should pull off easily. You don’t want to overcook them.
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Pull out of the water and turn upside down to drain any excess water.
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Enjoy the leaves for your lunch.
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Cool the artichokes, remove leaves and scrape away the hairy part.
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Roughly chop up the hearts.
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While the artichokes are cooking, shred the cheese, dice the onions and mince the garlic.
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If using canned artichoke hearts, pull all the leaves off and discard or use in another dish.
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Roughly chop up the hearts.
Onions
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Add the onions to a large heavy saucepan, saute in olive oil over medium-low heat, stirring until the onions are softened.
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Add the garlic and stir until it starts to brown, add the wine and let reduce to a syrup.
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Make sure the wine is completely reduced before adding the butter.
Sauce
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Next, add the butter to the onions, when melted stir in the flour, and cook the mixture, stirring, for about 1 minute.
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Add the milk a little at a time while whisking constantly. Bring the milk to a simmer.
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Add the Pecorino a little at a time and whisking until completely melted then and add the cheddar a little at a time until melted.
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Whisk in the mascarpone and add the salt and pepper.
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Cover and set aside until artichokes are done.
Pasta
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In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni for 4 minutes.
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You want it less than al dente because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
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Drain and put into 3-quart gratin dish.
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When the artichokes are cooled and chopped, add to the pasta and mix together.
Assemble
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Spread the pasta/artichokes on the bottom of a 3-quart casserole dish.
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Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta/artichokes.
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Place on the middle shelf for 35 - 45 minutes or until it is golden and bubbly.
Recipe Notes
You might think you have made a mistake and made too much sauce but trust me it's perfect. Because the pasta is undercooked it will soak up some of the sauce while leaving enough for an extremely creamy mac n cheese. You can cook the artichokes the day before if you want. If not, I start by cooking the artichokes and while they are cooking, I prep all the components and set them aside until the artichokes are ready. After the pasta is drained I stir in a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Toss the artichoke with the pasta, top with sauce and bake!
