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caprese mac & cheese

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword basil, caprese, mac and cheese, mac n cheese, pesto
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 16 oz of your favorite short cut pasta I used ditalini
  • 8 oz cream cheese cubed and brought to room temp
  • 1 cups milk
  • 3 cups shredded italian cheese divided
  • 1/3 cup basil pesto
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 tsp mustard powder
  • healthy pinch salt and pepper
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes halved
  • freshly minced basil for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Cook pasta according to package instructions then drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water.
  3. With drained pasta back in its cooking pot, stir in the reserved pasta water, cream cheese, 2 cups shredded italian cheese, pesto, minced garlic, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until cheese is completely melted and a creamy cheesy sauce forms. Finally, stir in the halved cherry tomatoes until well combined.
  4. Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish then with remaining 1 cup shredded italian cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned in spots. Top with freshly minced basil and enjoy!