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Reuben Mac & Cheese

Erin — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 11:00:53 +0000

Turn a beloved sandwich into a bowl of reuben mac and cheese with 3 different cheeses, corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand island dressing.

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Why do I enjoy St. Patrick’s Day so much? While you may think the menu is limited to corned beef, cabbage, Guinness, and shamrock shakes, I would disagree. Since it’s not a holiday ruled by tradition I think it lends itself to my desire to not make the same thing every year (a desire that becomes a battle at Thanksgiving).

As such, every year I strive to bust out all the creative ideas that St. Patrick’s Day has to offer. Just take a look at the 30 (and counting) St. Patrick’s Day tagged recipes in my archive. The possibilities are endless!

After already sharing 4 delicious corned beef recipes, in most recent years I’ve been going outside the box a little by coming up with alternative St. Patrick’s Day meals: two different pizzas, a Reuben burger, Reuben taquitos, a rutabaga and corned beef hash, and a Guinness beef stew.

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some corned beef and cabbage and will likely revisit one of the four this year. But like most holidays, I tend to celebrate for more than one day. And today it’s time to load up on the cheese!

Using my go-to mac and cheese base recipe, I came up with a reuben version incorporating Irish sharp white cheddar, Irish Swiss, Gruyere, corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand island dressing, caraway seeds and even rye bread crumbs for topping. To seal the deal, I also stumbled upon shamrock shaped pasta just prior to making it. It’s like it was meant to be!

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you’re a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of the month. This month our theme is in honor of St. Patrick’s day. We are posting recipes for ways to use up Leftover Corned Beef.

Corned beef and Cabbage Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Corned Beef Hash with Yukon Gold potatoes and Chilies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Hunter’s Beef Stew by Snehas Recipe
Palusami – Samoan Stewed Greens by Pandemonium Noshery
Reuben Pizza by Palatable Pastime

One year ago: Nutella & Oreo Car Bomb Lasagna

Two years ago: Small Batch Green Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Five years ago: Nutella Fruit Dip

REUBEN MAC & CHEESE

Yield: Serves 6 as side or 4 as entree Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

8 oz. favorite pasta shape (I used shamrock)
2-1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. Irish sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz. Irish Swiss cheese, grated
2 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped, cooked corned beef
1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
1-2 tsp caraway seeds
1/4 cup rye bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 11×7-inch (about 2 quarts) casserole dish and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions until just barely al-dente (about 1 minute less than recommended cook time). Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat add butter and melt until frothy. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking until it begins to bubble and turn golden, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, whisking vigorously, until all the milk is incorporated and mixture is smooth (will clump but keep whisking).
Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking regularly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk the salt and pepper. Slowly add cheeses (except a 1/2 cup mixture), a handful at a time, whisking until melted before adding more. Stir in pasta, corned beef, sauerkraut, and caraway until evenly coated.
Pour into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and breadcrumbs over top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until filling is bubbling, then broil for 1-2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Source: Adapted from my Rosemary Mac & Cheese.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Reuben Mac & Cheese

The Spiffy Cookie

Grown-Up Macaroni and Cheese

Erin — Mon, 26 May 2014 04:01:29 +0000

Boxed macaroni and cheese cannot compete with the three cheeses in this grown-up version. Sharp cheddar, Gruyere, and blue cheese will rock your taste buds.

Happy Memorial Day! And also a happy Secret Recipe Club reveal day. This month I was assigned to Dena’s blog, Oh! You Cook! Not only is she a blogger, she is also a librarian by day and has a cookbook called The Everything Kosher Slow Cooker Cookbook. Regardless of your dietary restrictions however she has scads of recipes everyone can enjoy such as Stuffed Grape Leaves Casserole, Chubby-Hubby Truffles, and even Caramelized Banana-Stuffed Fried Oatmeal. Talk about incredible! But with the Memorial holiday I had my sights set on her macaroni and cheese.

This particular mac and cheese is a huge upgrade from the boxed stuff (not that I don’t enjoy that from time to time). It is made with three types of cheese, sharp chedder, Gruyere, and blue cheese. The combination of those three makes for one awesome mac and cheese sauce. Which speaking of I must warn you, while making the cheese sauce for this recipe I was worried that it should have cooked down further or used less milk as it seemed like far too much sauce for the amount of noodles. However once it baked in the oven it was perfect. Do not be concerned with the seemingly excessive amount of sauce pre-baked, it will turn out just right.

One year ago: Spaghetti Avocado

Three years ago: Baked Zucchini Fries with Balsamic Aioli

GROWN-UP MACARONI AND CHEESE

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) box elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard powder (or 1 Tbsp dijon)

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated

4 oz. crumbled blue cheese

3 cups milk (I used 2%)

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well.
While macaroni is cooking, over medium heat melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 3 quart saucepan. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Whisk constantly for 1 minute to form a paste.
Slowly whisk in milk. Stir often until mixture starts to thicken and barely comes to a simmer, then stir constantly until mixture boils.
Reduce heat to low. Stir in mustard, all the cheeses a small handful at a time, stirring between each handful until cheese has completely melted.
Add drained macaroni, stir until evenly mixed and pour into the prepared casserole dish.
In a small bowl, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in microwave. Mix butter with Panko, then sprinkle on top of the macaroni.
Bake, uncovered, in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and crumbs are golden brown. (I broiled mine for 5 minutes after it baked for 25.)

Source: Adapted slightly from Oh! You Cook!

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Brussels Sprout Mac and Cheese

Erin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:57 +0000

Happy National Cheese Day! What better way to celebrate that with some pasta covered in it? When it comes to mac and cheese, I tend to prefer the stove top varieties bnecause they are creamier. I have never met a baked version that could compete. That was until this recipe happened because it just may be the creamiest baked mac and cheese ever.

When Lindsay (Love & Olive Oil) posted about this recipe and explained how many sub-par batches of mac and cheese she and Taylor had to eat before reaching the perfect consistency and flavor, I knew I had to make it with the exact same cheeses. It was surprisingly difficult to locate mild white cheddar in the grocery stores near me, but finally found one and it was well worth the hunt.

Don’t like Brussels sprouts? Leave them out or substitute for another veggie, such as broccoli. This creamy mac and cheese is the perfect base to which you can incorporate any of your favorite add-ins.

BRUSSELS SPROUT MAC AND CHEESE

Serves 4 as side or 2 as entree

Ingredients:

4 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni

1 cup + 2 Tbsp whole milk

2-1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 oz. mild white cheddar cheese, grated and divided

1 oz. gruyere cheese, grated

1 oz. pecorino cheese, grated

4 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored, and very thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8×8-inch (or 7×9) casserole dish and set aside.
Cook macaroni according to package directions until just barely al-dente (about 1 minute less than recommended cook time). Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saute pan set over medium heat. When butter is melted and frothy, add flour and whisk until smooth and begins to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly pour in warm milk,whisking vigorously, until all the milk is incorporated and mixture is smooth.
Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking regularly, until sauce bubbles and has thickened slightly, about 5 top 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cayenne, paprika, and salt and pepper. Slowly add cheeses, a handful at a time, whisking until melted before adding more. Add all but 1/2 cup of the white cheddar cheese (set aside for sprinkling on top). Stir in macaroni and sliced Brussels sprouts until evenly coated.
Pour into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and breadcrumbs over top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is bubbling, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Halved from Love & Olive Oil.

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