Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese

Recipe courtesy Aida Mollenkamp

Show: Ask AidaEpisode: Pasta in Presto

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (21)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(21)

Cook Time:
10 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
10 to 12 servings

Times:

Prep: 2 min
Inactive Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Total:: 17 min

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
4 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1 pound macaroni
3 tablespoons thinly sliced sage
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
4 ounces shredded aged Cheddar
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to broil and arrange rack in top. Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter and mix in a medium bowl with 1 cup of the Parmigiano and all the bread crumbs until thoroughly moistened; set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for half the time indicated on package.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add sage and cook until crisp and butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until pasta is ready. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.

Return pasta to pot and place over low heat. Stir in sage butter, reserved pasta water, remaining 3 cups Parmigiano, Gruyere, Cheddar, mascarpone, and salt, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly until cheeses are evenly melted and the pasta looks well coated. Turn pasta into baking dish and evenly top with bread crumb mixture. Place under broiler until mixture bubbles and top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Carissa Manhattan Beach, CA 02-08-2010
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GREAT with modifications
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I've made many of Ina's Mac & Cheese recipes and have loved them. This is different -- and very, very good. I had it at my... sister's and asked why she'd made it despite the dicey reviews, but then I tasted it. It's rich, creamy and decadent. It's easier than an Ina recipe (no bechamel sauce) but equally rich. The problem with this recipe is...well...THE RECIPE! It is so poorly written that it's a bit hard to navigate and/or make sense of. That said, here's what my sister (and subsequently, I) did! - Cook the pasta until al dente. It's not going to bake for long enough to boil the pasta only half the time. - 4 oz, (pay close attention here, Baltimore) is 4 oz. WEIGHT, not volume. I weighed 4 oz of Parm then grated it. It's about 1.5 cups. Common sense, friends. - Switch the 4 oz. cheddar, 6 oz. gruyere and do 6 oz of cheddar, 4 of gruyere. - Do 1/2 cup panko crumbs w/ 2 Tbs. butter and 1/4 C. parm (adding the rest of the parm to the pasta) - Add the cheeses first, then add the pasta water; you may not need all of it. - Bake it at 400 for a few seconds to get it nice and hot, then broil it for a minute to get the top crispy. This is absolutely worth making -- and totally delicious -- provided you use common sense. Read more
recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Barton Apple Valley, CA 12-30-2009
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Cost too much for the results
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

This was expensive for a mac and cheese, plus it lacked that creamy depth that milk would have given it.
recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Anne Glen Allen, VA 09-06-2009
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A real grown-up mac and cheese
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

We thought this mac and cheese was very good, but not the comfort food I like my mac and cheese to be. It's the kind of mac... and cheese you serve for company. It's rich, complex and worth the effort, but I wouldn't really call it mac and cheese. It's more of a "pasta" dish.Read more
recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Allison Chicago, IL 04-03-2009
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Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I agree that it is very expensive to make however it was well worth it. It's rich and delicious. I added a little truffle oil... which made it even better. I was very impressed!Read more
recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Juli Westminster, CA 03-02-2009
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Got Rave Reviews
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I did not add any extra salt, since I salted the pasta water, and the water goes... INTO the cheese sauce. I did use the full 4 cups of Parmesean, it IS correct. But I did use a 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs to cover the entire 9x 13 pan I had to use. Also, be sure the pasta is cooked all the way. Delicious and unique!Read more
recipe Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese
Lisa Damascus, MD 01-05-2009
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Better off with Barefoot Contessa
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I watched the show for the first time and this is the episode I caught. In all fairness I love mac and cheese and so does my... family-so we figured we give this a try. Save your money and use Ina's recipe. The lack of any milk left this a nightmare in the pot that could not be saved.Read more