Spicy Baked Macaroni

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Awards Party

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (168)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(168)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 to 10 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 1 hr 30 min

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Ingredients

Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound assorted mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup Romano, plus 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.

In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Veronica Philadelphia, PA 02-02-2010
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AWESOME CROWD PLEASER
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is a great dish to make as a side. You can keep it in the fridge all week and have leftovers and I have even frozen it... and it still tastes good reheated. Perfect with an Italian chicken or fish dish. I never have nutmeg so I omit it and it still tastes great. I didn't grow up on traditional mac and cheese so this is the perfect cheesy pasta consistency for me. Read more
recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Jill Idaho Falls, ID 01-16-2010
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Yum!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My boys aren't big on spiniach so I substituted a can of artichoke hearts, chopped. Next time I'll add a little tomato... sauce, as the end result was a little drier than I expected. But still excellent!Read more
recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Angela Omaha, NE 12-20-2009
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A Perfect Side Dish
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe a number of times, with different variations. I love her method of putting breadcrumbs on both the... top and bottom of the pasta, and sometimes will use panko. I have substituted fontina for the mozzarella and omitted the romano (using extra parmesan), and also used tiny balls of fresh mozzarella instead. Also, when a larger variety of vegetables are in season I play around with different combos, too. I've made it with different types of summer squash, fresh tomatoes, eggplant...you name it. It comes out exceptional every time! For those of you who think this should be like mac and cheese, sorry...it's not. It's better!Read more
recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Laura Little Rock, AR 12-14-2009
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Read the reviews - I didn't
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Unfortunately I didn't read the reviews for this dish before making it. Mine ended up VERY dry. I guess I was expecting a... texture and creaminess like traditional mac and cheese and this just does NOT have it. The flavor is just ok, nothing outstanding. I will not make again.Read more
recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Missy Camby, IN 12-11-2009
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YUM YUM YUMMY!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this dish and I used 8oz of ciliegine (cherry sized mozzarella balls) and quartered them, I also used one 6oz jar of... romano cheese and one 6oz jar of parm cheese..I also used panko bread crumbs in place of reg bread crumbs, it gave it an awesome crunch..The dish was beautiful when it came out, prefectly brown & YUMMY....Thank you Giada for sharing!Read more
recipe Spicy Baked Macaroni
Angela Hammond, IN 11-30-2009
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Will make again
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I just made this a few days ago and loved it, except it was not spicy at all. I doubled the amount for the red pepper and not... even a hint of spice. It was still fantastic, though. I used wheat penne instead and shredded fat free mozzarella and a 5-cheese Italian blend, for a total of about 16 oz. of cheese, plus the (already) grated parm/romano. It is a different take on the traditional macaroni and cheese, but very good. Even my picky mom liked it! I may try adding the cayenne next time, or even some jalapenos, to give it some kick.Read more