Truffle & Cheese Macaroni

This picture may look like your typical homemade Mac & Cheese- but I promise it is so much more and so much simpler. This dish was inspired by a black truffle & cheese pasta dinner I had while in NYC and could only afford probably once a year. So rather than spend more money, I found a way to get this rich flavor at home for a fraction of the cost (and the added fun of making something homemade and delicious). Hope you enjoy!

Makes: 4 servings  Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

·       3 cups of your favorite sturdy pasta (I like Casarecce, Trofie, or Cavatelli)

·        1 lb of Ricotta cheese (check out your local farmers market for homemade and locally sourced!)

·        2 shallots

·        2 handfuls of baby spinach (optional)

·        2 large eggs

·        4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

·        Truffle Oil (to taste)

·        Italian Parsley for garnish

·        Black pepper to taste and Salt for boiling water

Recipe

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and salt generously. When boiling, add pasta. Cook until al dente. Set aside 1 cup of pasta water to use for later. When cooked, drain and set aside.

2. In a separate pan, add a small amount of truffle oil to the pan and heat on low.

3. Chop shallots and add to oil.

4. Add spinach to oil and shallots until wilted (about 2 minutes).

5. Place spinach and shallots in a bowl and cool in the fridge.

6. In a large bowl, beat together Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and eggs until smooth.

7. When cooled, mix in spinach and shallots to ricotta blend. Season with black pepper.

8. Mix in truffle oil to taste (I use about 4 tablespoons)

9. In the pan (from spinach), add cooked pasta. On low heat, add in ricotta mixture and mix together until well coated. Use the saved pasta water to thin the ricotta mixture if necessary.

10. Rough chop a handful of parsley, garnish, and enjoy!

Tips:

• Ricotta is hard to reheat- with the added oil it can separate easily especially in the microwave. This dish saves well, but to reheat use the stove top on low heat and be ready to add in extra moisture (water, milk, cream) to avoid clumps and keep the dish smooth and creamy.

• The portion of the recipe in italics (the shallots and spinach) can be completely left out if desired. Simply skip steps 2-5 and go straight to mixing the cheese!

• Pictured here, I topped with fresh asparagus sauteed quickly with a touch of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. I love the added crunch of fresh vegetables on top of such a rich dish.