New York Times 1/4/06
- Carbohydrate 24.83434864775 g
- Cholesterol 134.858867258333 mg
- Fat 35.5578281121667 g
- Fiber 0.171562499364217 g
- Protein 32.2253685255833 g
- Saturated Fat 21.6790155278667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (236g)
- Sodium 782.6441043 mg
- Sugar 24.6627861483858 g
- Trans Fat 2.85020686494167 g
- Calories 549 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven.
- Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
- In a blender, puree cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg (if using), salt and pepper together. Reserve 1/4 cup grated cheese for topping.
- In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Visual cues replace thermal probes when monitoring casseroles containing uncooked pasta baked directly in liquid. Blending dairy bases until completely smooth ensures proteins distribute evenly without separating under heat. Whole milk and full-fat cottage cheese provide the necessary fat solids to prevent the sauce from breaking into a grainy texture during the initial thirty-minute covered bake. Using standard dry pasta straight from the box allows the starch to hydrate uniformly within the surrounding dairy emulsion.
Assessing doneness requires observing the physical transformations occurring at the surface of the baking dish. Uncovering the pan at the thirty-minute mark exposes trapped steam and initiates the reduction of excess moisture. Stirring the mixture redistributes remaining starches, preventing localized burning while ensuring the elbow macaroni achieves a tender bite throughout its interior. Visual evaluation shifts entirely to color once the foil is removed for the final thirty minutes of baking at 375 degrees.
Golden-brown edges and bubbling perimeter fats signal that the internal starches have fully gelatinized and excess water has evaporated. Dotting the surface with the remaining tablespoon of butter promotes localized Maillard reactions, yielding a distinct contrast between the creamy interior and the toasted top layer. Overcooking causes the dairy fats to separate completely from the protein matrix, resulting in an oily surface film rather than a cohesive sauce.
Resting the casserole for at least fifteen minutes before portioning allows the internal temperature to drop below the boiling point and lets the melted cheese proteins firm up. Slicing or scooping immediately after extraction causes the dish to collapse because hot dairy fats remain too fluid to hold structure. Proper cooling ensures clean separation of individual servings while maintaining the rich texture built during the baking process.
