Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese

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Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese
Cheesy, comforting mac and cheese with roasted tomatoes, bacon and fresh herbs. Serves two as a main dish or three as a side dish.
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Keyword mac & cheese, pasta
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Keyword mac & cheese, pasta
Servings
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet. Gently toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Roast until tomatoes are blistered, about 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your tomatoes.
  3. Turn oven down to 350ºF. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
  4. Set aside 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses for the top.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk milk and heavy cream together.
  6. In a 2-quart oven safe pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Slowly whisk in milk and cream. Heat until thickened, whisking out any lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.)
  8. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in 3/4 cup each cheddar and Gruyere cheeses. Taste sauce and season with more salt or pepper if necessary.
  9. Fold in cooked pasta, roasted tomatoes, bacon, 1 teaspoon parsley and 1 teaspoon chives. Top with remaining cheese.
  10. Bake in top third of the oven, just until cheese is melted, about 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and chives.

Italian Easter Pocket Pies

Italian Easter Pocket Pies

Italian Easter Pie, also known as Pizza Rustica is a rich, delicious, savory pie, similar to a quiche. When I was growing up, my family enjoyed this pie at Easter time, but it’s delicious and comforting any time of the year. Easter Pie typically contains meats and cheeses. We made ours with sausage, cheese and spinach. I started making these small, handheld versions years ago for my kids. They love dipping them in pizza sauce. I included the recipe for the homemade pie crust below, but you can streamline the recipe by making the pie dough the night before or using store bought 2-crust pie dough if you wish.

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Italian Easter Pocket Pies
Golden handheld pies filled with Italian sausage, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella cheese
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pastry, pie
Servings
pocket pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
Filling
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pastry, pie
Servings
pocket pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
Filling
Instructions
Pie Crust
  1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Work the butter into the flour mixture until flat, dime size pieces are formed.
  2. In a small bowl combine the ice water and vinegar. Sprinkle the ice water mixture over the flour mixture a little at a time and mix just until the dough comes together. You may not need all of the water, depending on your climate. On a lightly floured surface, fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Form the dough into two disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours or up to overnight.
Filling and Assembly
  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the sausage, spinach, cheeses and seasonings in a medium bowl and mix well.
  3. Roll out the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into ten 5-inch rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet.
  4. Brush the edges of the rounds with egg wash. Place about 3 tablespoons of filling into the center of each round. Fold the dough over and press the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the pies with egg wash. Cut a 3/4-inch ventilation slit on the top of each pie.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce or marinara if desired.