gouda mac + cheese w/ chickpea pasta

ingredients:

8 ounce box of banza chickpea pasta shells

3 tbsps of butter

2 tbsps of flour

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 tsp of cumin

1/4 tsp of ground mustard

1/4 tsp of smoked paprika

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces of gouda cheese, freshly shredded

2 tbsps of Panko breadcrumbs 

supplies:

stock pot

large (2-3qt) oven safe skillet

whisk and mixing spoon

small bowl

directions:

preheat the oven to 400. fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil. once boiling, generously season with salt and add the chickpea pasta. cook for 8 minutes (1 minute under the time on the box), and then drain. save about 1/2 of the salted pasta water.

while the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce. in an oven safe skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. once melted, add in the flour and whisk until smooth and incorporated. cook for about 1 minute, continuously whisking. next, add in the milk and heavy cream. continue to whisk to combine and keep smooth. let simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. season with cumin, ground mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. turn off the heat and whisk in the gouda cheese, except about 1/4 cup, to the sauce. if the sauce gets too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to the sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time; you may not need it all. once all the cheese is melted, add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix everything together. in a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup of gouda cheese and breadcrumbs together. top the mac and cheese with the cheese/breadcrumbs mix. move the skillet to the oven and bake the mac and cheese for 15-20 minutes, until the top is brown and bubbly. serve warm.

note: you can use any type of pasta or cheese, but keep the same measurements to make this small batch recipe. this will make 4-6 servings.