Baked Mac and Cheese with Button Mushrooms and Truffle Oil

For those of you who don't know Moe very well, he loves Mac and Cheese.  I'm pretty sure that if he had to come up with a list of five reasons why he wanted to have kids, excuse to eat Mac and Cheese with hot dogs would be on the top of his list.  If I send him to the store for milk, there is a 100% guarantee that he will return home with a box (if not numerous boxes) of Sponge Bob Mac and Cheese. Yes, the Sponge Bob part is the kicker in the whole thing.  Now, I see two problems with this.  One,  why is a grown man getting so excited about cartoon shaped noddles? And two, there is ZERO nutritional value in this meal which I have a problem with!

However, since I am SUCH A NICE WIFE, I am willing to meet in the middle on this one.  I have been in search of a good homemade mac and cheese recipe and finally found one that is worth blogging about! I'm sure Moe will get home tonight and say that Sponge Bob wins in comparison, but at least I can say I tried!

Baked Mac and Cheese with Button Mushrooms and Truffle Oil
Source:  Modified from Cooking Light, November 2011

2 cups of uncooked penne pasta (any tube shaped pasta will work)
10 small button mushrooms, rinsed, and sliced
1 tsp of butter
6 oz of low fat cottage cheese (1% or 2%)
1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided into two portions
2 tablespoons of panko
1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
truffle oil (minimal amount - less than 1/4 tsp) - a little goes a long way

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook pasta according to packaged directions. Drain and set aside until ready to use. 

While pasta is cooking, put cottage cheese in a food processor and process until smooth.  Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and 1/8 tsp of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  Rinse mushrooms and remove the stem.

Slice mushrooms and saute in a pan with butter until softened for approximately 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms to cheese mixture. Add cheese mixture to pasta and stir together.  Spoon mixture into a ceramic or glass baking dish coated in cooking spray. 

Combine remaining Parmesan, panko, and parsley in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Preheat the broiler (leave dish in the oven while broiler preheats).  Broil pasta for 1 minutes until top is golden brown.   Drizzle with truffle oil and serve immediately.

Served with a arugula salad with cherry tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Ratings
Miss J, 9 out of 10
Moe, 9.5 out of 10

Notes:  This can be made the night before and heated up in the oven (add 10-15 minutes to the cook time).  Add a little bit of milk or cream to the top of the pasta dish before it goes in the oven to avoid the pasta from drying out. 

- Miss J