Our garden overfloweth with zucchini and cucumbers…so we decided to rely heavily on Zucchini as a primary ingredient of this dish. From some prior Macaroni and Cheese experiences, we know that a veggie infusion can really put the dish over the top from a textural, taste, and nutritional standpoint, so we decided to break out some rotini and build a Mac and Cheese!
The next choice we had at our fingertips was what cheese to use! We oft go with a Gouda or Cheddar, but this time, we wanted to use another cheese that is famous for its melting properties: Raclette! Rather than melting and scraping thin layers (as is customary), we cubed our raclette and melted it in a roux to coat our ingredients. Then, we used a blend of seasonings that is traditionally associated with this glorious cheese to give the dish some extra flavour depth and to finish it off. The end result was a really fun Mac and Cheese with a Swiss Flare (a la Fondue Magronen, Hearty Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese, or any of our Spatzlipfanne dishes)
Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Rotini (We used Whole Wheat)
- Zucchini
- Onion
- Raclette
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup of Milk
- Raclette Seasoning (or if you don’t have, blend up a mixture of Paprika, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Coriander, Onion Powder, Rosemary, Cumin, and Thyme)
Method:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. You’ll use that water to cook your pasta.
- As your water heats, dice your onion and zucchini.
- Melt some butter in a large pan, and sauté your onion and zucchini until they soften.
- As your veggies cook, cut your raclette into chunks, and cook your pasta in you (now) boiling water.
- Scoop your flour into your veggie pan, and stir to combine and have your flour coat your veggies. Let sit for a minute or two.
- Add your milk, and stir to combine. Then, add your diced raclette and your seasoning. Stir and allow to thicken.
- When your pasta is cooked, drain the water, and add it to your veggie pan.
- Stir it in to fully incorporate your everything, and add a little more raclette seasoning to taste.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
