A strudel of basil pesto adds so much flavor to this classic comfort food! This Macaroni and Cheese Pesto features Havarti cheese for an ultra-creamy texture.
Oh hey, creamy pesto with macaroni and cheese! This super cozy comfort food is as gooey as it looks, and the addition of a strudel of bright green basil pesto is an absolute stroke of genius. This genius didn’t come from us but from Maria Lichty, our dear friend and author of the new cookbook Two Peas and Their Pod. We couldn’t be prouder to see her book in print as we chatted with her throughout the cookbook writing process. (Which, we might add, is quite the journey! Here are some things we learned from writing a cookbook.) Read on for the recipe and more about this fabulous book.
About the book: Two peas and their pod
I met Maria at a few events last year (a night out in Detroit, a conference on Pinterest, etc.). Alex and I had known about his hugely popular blog, Two Peas and Their Pod, for years. So it was so much fun meeting the person behind the drooling cookie recipes and family dinners. Of course Maria is the kindest and most generous soul and just as beautiful as her writing voice sounds! When we met, Maria was writing this book: an intense process, to say the least.
So it was with great anticipation that Alex and I received the Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook: and it’s even more beautiful and drool-worthy than we imagined! The subtitle is “Everyday Recipes from our Home Kitchen” and that’s what comes to mind when I think of Maria and her sweet family. It’s packed with beautiful, fresh photographs and recipes that we can assure you’ll be family favorites in no time! Just like this mac and cheese with pesto…
Make pesto mac and cheese
This pesto mac and cheese was a big hit at this house: our son Larson literally couldn’t stop eating it. “Macaroni and Cheese!” He was screaming and trying to get it out of the fridge himself which is quite an achievement at 2 years old. Suffice it to say that this one is a serious winner. The way Havarti cheese melts into the creamiest sauce makes it our new favorite. (I thought Gouda mac and cheese was my ultimate…before this spaghetti squash mac and cheese.) Here are the ingredients you need to make this pesto mac and cheese:
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni or other short pasta: we used gigli pasta (more details below)
- butter
- all purpose flour
- milk
- Shredded Havarti or Mozzarella Cheese (8 ounces)
- Basil pesto
The only part that requires some technique is making a roux. What is a roux? A roux is flour and butter cooked together and used to thicken sauces. It is usually made with equal parts flour and butter. You will cook the butter and flour together until they start to brown, then add the milk and cheese to the sauce. This is pretty standard for most macaroni and cheese recipes: it makes the sauce creamy!
How do you make a meal out of this? Accompany it with a green salad or steamed broccoli! Head over to the 10 Best Sides to Serve With Mac and Cheese for our favorite recipes.
What is Gigli pasta?
We used gigli pasta for this macaroni and cheese pesto because we love using unique pasta shapes. What is that? Gigli is a form of short pasta with a rippled edge that is rolled up into a cone or flower shape. Also known as campanelle, this unique type of pasta is best served with thick sauces. That makes it perfect for mac and cheese! A few more of our pasta dish ideas that work with Gigli pasta:
It’s worth finding a fun pasta shape like Gigli for this Pesto Macaroni and Cheese: just for the novelty! But any form of short pasta will work, including:
- Macaroni (of course!)
- Shellfish
- butterflies
- fusilli
- penne
- Rigatoni
Make homemade pesto
When it’s basil time and you have a plant, making homemade pesto makes this macaroni and cheese even better. If not, you can of course use store-bought pesto: here’s one of our favorite brands.
If you decide to make your own, we have lots of great pesto recipes. Our best basil pesto is the pine nut, basil and parmesan classic, but you can use many different types of nuts in the pesto: try our basil cashew pesto or our basil walnut pesto. By the way, we also have some vegan pesto recipes: Vegan Cashew Pesto and Easy Vegan Pesto. But we suspect if you’re making mac and cheese, you’re not vegan yet!
do you like pesto Discover our best pesto recipes.
This pesto macaroni and cheese recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free pasta, use gluten-free pasta.
The description
A strudel of basil pesto adds so much flavor to this classic comfort food! This Macaroni and Cheese Pesto features Havarti cheese for an ultra-creamy texture.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni or other form of short pasta (we used gigli pasta)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk at room temperature
- 2 cups grated Havarti or mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto or store-bought basil pesto
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente for about 8 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.
- In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and beat in the flour to form a paste. Add milk and stir smooth. Increase heat to medium and continue beating until sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and continue to stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the pesto.
- Add the noodles, stirring to combine, and cook until noodles are heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Pesto Mac and Cheese, Mac and Cheese, Kid Friendly, Home Cooking Recipes, Havarti Mac and Cheese
