Mushroom Truffle Mac and Cheese

Do you love yourself? Like…do you really love yourself? Are you the coolest, most incredible badass of all time?? Fuck yes you are! And that’s why you deserve every bite of this dish that borders on godliness.

Ingredients:

• Good olive oil
• Truffle olive oil (or pure truffle oil, if you fancy – the recipe will walk through both options)
• 16 oz mushrooms, sliced (cremini, baby bella, or wild all work well here)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1.5 tsp ground thyme
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1 lb good pasta (rotini, cavatappi, elbow, or macaroni)
• 1.5 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1.5 cup shredded extra shard white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• S&P

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Put a large pot of heavily salted water on the stove on high heat and bring to a rolling boil
3. Add in your pasta, and cook it until just shy of al dente based on the box instructions
4. Drain, then toss the pasta with the truffle olive oil to season and also prevent sticking
5. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil (truffle olive oil if using this instead of truffle oil) and 1 tbsp of butter on medium heat and then add in the mushrooms
6. Cook mushrooms until nice and tender, about 4-5 minutes, and then set aside
7. In a large saucepan, melt remaining butter (4 tbsp) and then whisk in the flour, stirring until the flour is fully incorporated and bubbly
8. Whisk in the milk and half and half and stir, bringing the mixture to a low boil and then reduce the heat, stirring until the sauce begins to thicken well (a few minutes)
9. Remove the sauce from heat, and stir in the mustard, ground thyme, truffle oil (if using), salt, pepper, and both cheeses (1 cup each) and stir until the cheese is melted through
10. Fold in the mushrooms and cooked pasta
11. Pour the final mixture into a oiled 9×13 baking pan or oven-proof casserole dish
12. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining cheese with the panko crumbs and 1-2 tbsp olive oil, then spread this on top of the casserole
13. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the top is slightly browned and bubbling
14. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving
15. En-fucking-joy!