Rigatoni and Cheese

Well Thanksgiving is finally here and as you are reading this, I am still in full cooking mode. The in-laws are coming over today and when I tell them that dinner will be ready at 4pm, they are at my door by 1pm ready to eat!

Happens every year. So this year I made sure to leave out appetizers so they don't make me all nervous like they usually do. 

This macaroni and cheese dish was one of the first dishes ready, so I had to show you how addicting this Macaroni or should I say Rigatoni looks!

This recipe I was taught by my Mother-in-law Ruby. And as a matter of fact, she will be here shortly to critique me on the proper way to cook her traditional thanksgiving dishes. But this is one of her dishes that she does not complain about. 

After you eat this Rigatoni and cheese, you will never want that boxed stuff again. And neither will the kids. When I cook on thanksgiving, this is the first thing they ask about.

I once made three pans like this to take to a big family event feeding over 100 people. At the buffet table, it was the first thing they ran out of and all night long I was asked for the recipe.

2-16oz packages rigatoni 

32 oz Velveeta cheese block cubed and divided 

16 oz Cream cheese cubed and divided

8 oz =1 stick butter

8 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 11 x 15 pan,  place rigatoni noodles that have been cooked and drained according to directions on packaging. 

Set aside. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, combine milk, half of the cubed velveeta cheese block and half of the cubed cream cheese block. 

Cook on low heat until cheese has melted.

 Place remaining cubed velveeta and cream cheese pieces, scattered evenly over noodles.

 Pour cheese/milk mixture over noodles and stir a little just to make sure noodles are covered nicely. 

Stir a little just to combine.

Place butter in a small saucepan and heat on low until melted. Pour melted butter evenly over noodle/cheese mixture.

 I give it one more tiny stir to get butter a bit more incorporated. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and bubbly, about an hour.

Make ahead tip:

 You can cook the rigatoni the night before and keep noodles in fridge, in an airtight container until ready to assemble and bake. In the morning I just zap them for a minute or so in the microwave just to take out the chill then assemble and bake.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends and lots of good food.

Pumpkin, Cream Cheese and Butternut Squash Pasta

Today as I write this, I am in my mind trying to gear up for the day. It's going to be a very busy day. First I've got to get this house cleaned for thanksgiving, I have to go and buy the remaining ingredients for thanksgiving dinner, shop for by daughters birthday gifts and stop by the doctor to hopefully get some meds for my sore throat, ugh! I can't be sick for thanksgiving, that just will not do. Like many of us, I have to many people depending on me this thanksgiving, so I have to knock out this cold soon. No time to be sick.

The one thing I am looking forward to is sharing all about this Pumpkin and Butternut squash pasta recipe. Last week I stopped by my Ralph's supermarket, and this lovely lady was cooking this pasta dish and handing out samples and I must say it was one of  the most tasty pasta's I've ever had.

I usually eat pumpkin in mostly sweet dishes, and I've never had pumpkin in a savory dish until now. But now I am a believer. I went a bit further and tweaked the recipe a bit by adding some wonderful butternut squash to give it some extra healthy fall flavor and some cream cheese for an extra creamy texture with a flavor that can't be beat!

So while I am trying to put my house/health together, please enjoy the pasta:)

1-15oz Canned pumpkin

4 oz Puréed butternut squash

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Cup milk

1-8oz Cream cheese block cubed

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 Teaspoon onion powder

1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

1 Whole egg

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

16 oz Penne pasta 

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on package. In a medium saucepan , melt a tablespoons of butter and add pumpkin, butternut squash, milk and cream cheese. 

Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted and well incorporated. Add in one egg by tempering into sauce (whisk egg in a small bowl, then add a spoonful of warmed sauce in to egg and stir.)  Add tempered egg into sauce and stir to combine. 

Add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and stir.

 If it seems a little dry, add a bit more milk to desired consistency. Add drained pasta to sauce and combine to coat. 

Add in Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Serve with a sprinkle of more Parmesan.