Skillet Caprese Macaroni and Cheese

Skillet Caprese Macaroni and Cheese is an easy weeknight dinner all the family will love. With two types of cheese, tomatoes, basil, and a golden panko topping, it’s creamy pasta perfection.

Caprese mac and cheese styled in a black and red cast iron skillet topped with fresh basil.Skillet Caprese Macaroni and Cheese

Why You’ll Love this Caprese Mac and Cheese

Whereas many mac and cheese purists may disagree, proper right here is why this mac and cheese recipe reigns supreme in my summer season season playbook:

  • There’s no roux required. (Roux is the flour and butter mixture that varieties the muse of many creamy sauces.)
  • It should get an extra nutrient enhance from lycopene-rich tomatoes.
  • Plus a sneaky protein enhance from ricotta cheese, making it a further well-rounded meal.

For many who’re a lover of ALL points caprese, this pasta is for certain to satisfy your summer season season cravings.

It’s the correct use of late summer season season produce, equal to tomatoes and basil. In case your yard has each in bountiful portions, this recipe is principally begging to make an look in your dinner desk.

Serve it with a crisp inexperienced aspect salad and take into consideration dinner executed!

The Parts

Recipe ingredients in separate bowls arranged on a wooden board with labels.Recipe ingredients in separate bowls arranged on a wooden board with labels.
  • Pasta: Use any pasta type you need! I counsel one factor further rounded and tubular (equal to penne or Cavatappi) over strands like spaghetti.
  • Mozzarella: Whereas cheddar cheese is most traditionally utilized in mac and cheese, mozzarella has superior meltability. The latest balls of mozzarella even have large extreme moisture content material materials which lends to top-notch creaminess.
  • Ricotta: The other (moreover nontraditional) cheese on this recipe is full milk ricotta. Since that’s already a cushty, creamy cheese, it varieties the muse of the sauce, negating the need for a roux. (The sauce significantly comes collectively as quickly because the starchy pasta water is mixed in!)
  • Garlic: Up to date is biggest proper right here. Use as rather a lot or as little as you prefer to!
  • Tomatoes: Seek for the smaller cherry tomatoes on the vine, equal to sugar bombs. These are juicier and quite extra flavorful.
  • Basil: This caprese mac and cheese will get a double installment of basil every throughout the pasta and as a garnish.
  • Panko: For a crispy, golden topping, you’ll’t beat a smattering of panko breadcrumbs.
  • Butter or Oil: For mixing with the panko.

For a complete guidelines of the recipe elements and partssee the recipe card beneath.

The Directions

Step 1: Boil your pasta until merely shy of al dente. The noodles will proceed to cook dinner dinner throughout the oven, so this retains them from turning into mushy.

Subsequent, sauté tomatoes until their pores and pores and skin blisters and some begin to burst. Add the garlic and pink pepper flakes and cook dinner dinner until aromatic, about 1 minute.

Cherry tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes being sautéed, and pasta and ricotta cheese being mixed in.Cherry tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes being sautéed, and pasta and ricotta cheese being mixed in.

Step 2: Stir throughout the ricotta, pasta, and a portion of the pasta cooking water and mix until it emulsifies proper right into a creamy sauce.

Recipe Tip

Pasta water is liquid gold for reaching restaurant-quality silky sauces. It’s on a regular basis good to reserve higher than you need incase your sauce turns into thirsty for further. There’s no going once more for further after you drain it!

Step 3: Add mozzarella, and stir repeatedly. The heat will steadily start melting the mozzarella into ribbons of cheesy bliss.

Mozzarella being mixed into pasta and panko being scattered overtop.Mozzarella being mixed into pasta and panko being scattered overtop.

Step 4: Scatter panko mixture overtop, and bake until golden.

Recipe Variations

If you happen to want to take your from-scratch mac to the next stage, try together with one in every of many beneath to your mac and cheese:

  • Add Spinach. To bulk up the nutritional vitamins and fiber, add 2 handfuls of latest baby spinach to the mixture sooner than baking.
  • Add Meat. Sautéed hen sausage is delicious on this caprese mac and cheese. You possibly can even add thinly sliced prosciutto or diced pancetta to the mixture.
  • Use Completely totally different Cheese. Some good cheeses for mac and cheese are Gruyère, white cheddar, Gouda, or cream cheese.
A wooden spoon stirring through a pot of mac and cheese to show cheese pulling.A wooden spoon stirring through a pot of mac and cheese to show cheese pulling.

Serving Suggestions

Storage Solutions

  • To Retailer. Place leftover caprese mac and cheese in an airtight storage container throughout the fridge for as a lot as 4 days.
  • To Reheat. Rewarm the mac and cheese in a giant oven-safe skillet or pan throughout the oven at 350 ranges F until scorching. You possibly can even reheat this dish throughout the microwave, nonetheless the breadcrumbs gained’t re-crisp as correctly. Add a splash of milk, water, or broth earlier to heating to take care of the pasta from drying out.
Caprese mac and cheese styled in a cast iron skillet with a spoon resting on the right side.Caprese mac and cheese styled in a cast iron skillet with a spoon resting on the right side.

This supremely simple mac and cheese is assured to develop to be a family favorite. Serve it with a latest aspect salad and you have got all the weather for a profitable weeknight dinner.

Additional Summer time season Pasta Recipes

For many who give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations. I moreover truly respect readers taking the time to depart a rating and consider! Lastly, adjust to alongside on Fb and Pinterest for the most recent recipe updates.

  • Big oven-safe skillet

  • Stock pot

  • Preheat oven to 400 ranges F.

  • Put together dinner pasta based mostly on bundle instructions in salted water until very al dente (about 2 minutes decrease than urged cooking time). Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain remaining.

  • Within the meantime, heat olive oil in a giant oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook dinner dinner 6 to 7 minutes, stirring typically, until pores and pores and skin is blistered and tomatoes begin to burst.Add garlic and pink pepper flakes; cook dinner dinner 1 minute, until fragrant. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt.
  • Add cooked pasta, ricotta cheese, and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water; stir until combined. Add mozzarella cheese and stir pasta repeatedly until mozzarella melts all via (it’s OK if there are nonetheless some chunks – these create excellent cheese pulls!).Stir in additional pasta water as needed to create a creamy, emulsified sauce (I typically end up together with one different 1/4 cup). Flip off heat and stir in 1/2 cup torn basil leaves and one different 1/4 tsp. salt.
  • Place melted butter and panko in a small bowl; mix until combined. Sprinkle panko mixture over pasta and place pan throughout the oven. Bake for 15 to twenty minutes, until golden and melty. (Broil under HIGH for the final word 2 minutes for a further golden-brown topping.)Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup torn basil leaves.
  • To Retailer. Place leftover mac and cheese in an airtight storage container throughout the fridge for as a lot as 4 days.
  • To Reheat. Rewarm the mac and cheese in a giant oven-safe skillet or pan throughout the oven at 350 ranges F until scorching. You possibly can even reheat this dish throughout the microwave, nonetheless the breadcrumbs gained’t re-crisp as correctly. Add a splash of milk, water, or broth earlier to heating to take care of the pasta from drying out.

Serving: 2cups | Power: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 710mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g

I calculate these values by hand to verify accuracy, nonetheless rely on as a lot as a ten% variable counting on meals producers.

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