Yesterday, Pat and I celebrated four years of marriage. Four years! I married an incredible man. We’re set to take a cheese making class this Saturday to celebrate, but I thought I would do something special for the actual day. I learned a little while back that my man LOVES mushrooms. He also loves cheese. So when I saw this recipe on a Giada at Home episode a few months back, I found it online and saved it to my recipe collection right away.

There are actually 3 types of cheese in the dish, gruyere, fontina, and parmesan. (A word to the wise, gruyere is a little bit pricey but you can find it at Costco for the most reasonable cost.) They all melt beautifully together. And when you add the mushrooms into the mix? A match made in heaven, just like my marriage to Pat. I can just feel both the “awws” and the eye-rolls after that one! Let me be sappy, it’s my anniversary!

What’s missing from this post is a photo of the final product. It was absolutely delicious, but I burnt the top! I set a timer, went off to nurse Caleb for bedtime, and didn’t check to see what my temperamental oven was doing in the process. Oops, lesson learned.

Gruyere and Mushroom Mac and Cheese, adapted just barely from Giada

topping:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

pasta:
salt for pasta water
1 pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces sliced or torn mushrooms (I used button and cremini, you can also try trumpets, oyster, or any other fancy mushroom)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups grated gruyere
1 cup grated fontina
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, for drizzling at the end

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper for the topping. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot to cook the pasta. Salt the water and then add the penne and cook for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, shallots, and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir every once and a while until mushrooms are fully cooked, roughly 6-8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms onto a plate, including the juices.

Set the oven to broil.

Reduce the heat the medium and melt the butter. Add the flour and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, until a paste forms. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Whisk every once in a while to prevent clumps from building at the bottom. Whisk in the gruyere, fontina, and parmesan until fully incorporated.

Turn off the heat. Add the cooked pastas, penne, mushrooms, 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and fold together. Sprinkle the topping on and drizzle with olive oil. Broil until the topping is golden (not burnt!) and the sauce is bubbling, about 8 minutes.

Let mac and cheese sit for about 10 minutes before serving.