Done a Dance to That…

“This is a great basic recipe because there are many possibilities for variations with different pastas and cheeses. You can also use individual gratin dishes if you want a special presentation.” –Jeff Towle, Kingwood, Texas

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 5  cups  uncooked rigatoni (16 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 2  tablespoons  butter, divided
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 3  cups  fat-free milk
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped pickled jalapeño pepper
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  sliced green onions (I omitted these)
• Cooking spray
• 2  (1-ounce) slices white bread (or premade bread crumbs)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; place in a large bowl.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add to pasta.

4. Add flour to pan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in jalapeño and salt. Add cheese mixture to pasta, tossing well to coat. Stir in green onions. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. I skipped this step and just used premade bread crumbs. Place bread slices in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Combine butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; toss until blended. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned.

Wine note: Portuguese reds are ripping hot right now and Esporao is one of my favorite producers. Gorgeous on the nose with strawberries and pansies, the 2006 Esporao Reserva Red ($15) has a creamy character that will meld very well with this cheesy dish. Its jammy fruit will prevent it from clashing with the jalapeños, a concern when there is heat in a recipe. —Gary Vaynerchuk

Nutritional Information

Calories:

408

Fat:

12.8g (sat 7.8g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

19.2g

Carbohydrate:

54.5g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

40mg

Iron:

2.5mg

Sodium:

550mg

Calcium:

293mg