Tuscan Mac and Cheese
Tuscan Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort dish with sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, and three cheeses in a creamy herb sauce over tender shells. So dreamy!
Servings 6
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 cups milk I use 1%
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp EACH: oregano basil, onion powder, garlic salt, mustard powder, parsley
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Mac and Cheese
- 1 lb. medium pasta
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz. sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded. See notes for cheese options.
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 cups packed baby spinach whole or roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp oil from the sundried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 additional tbsp flour if needed.
Instructions
- Here’s a quick tip: shred your cheese straight from the block—it melts creamier and tastes way better than the pre-shredded kind! (Check the notes for my favorite cheese brands.)
- In a large measuring cup with a spout, mix together the milk, heavy cream, hot sauce, and all your seasonings—then set it aside for later.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and save it. Pat the tomatoes dry, chop them up, and set them aside too.
- Before you get cooking, go ahead and measure out the rest of your ingredients—this will make everything way easier once you get started!
Time to Cook the Pasta!
- Start by bringing a big pot of water to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, toss in a generous amount of salt—I like to use about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Add the pasta and cook it until it’s al dente, just like the package says. Don’t forget to set a timer so it doesn’t overcook—you want it perfectly firm to the bite!
Let’s Make That Dreamy Cheese Sauce!
- While the pasta’s cooking, melt the butter and that saved sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet (one with high sides) over medium heat. Toss in the garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Then stir in the flour and tomato paste—keep stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and start slowly pouring in your milk and cream mixture, just a little at a time, while stirring non-stop. This helps keep the sauce nice and thick and smooth—no lumps here!
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and bring everything to a gentle bubble. Once it starts to bubble, lower the heat to low.
- Now comes the best part—cheese! Gradually stir it in, a bit at a time, so it melts perfectly into the sauce.
- Once the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is creamy, stir in the spinach and cover the skillet to let it wilt. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all wilt right away—it’ll keep softening as you mix in the pasta.
- Drain your pasta and slowly add it to the skillet, stirring as you go. Add just enough to get the sauce-to-pasta balance just how you like it. The pasta will soak up more sauce as it sits, so don’t worry if it looks extra saucy at first!
Notes
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days—or freeze them for up to 3 months. Just a heads-up: creamy, dairy-based sauces don’t reheat exactly like they were on day one—but I’ve got a trick for that!