Baked Quattro Formaggio

SERVES 6 • TO PREP 40 MINUTES • STORE 8 TO 24 HOURS • TO FINISH 50 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We love macaroni and cheese (who doesn’t?), but sometimes we want a more adult version. Enter the classic Italian iteration of macaroni and cheese, pasta ai quattro formaggi, made with four cheeses and heavy cream. We wanted a make-ahead version of this dish that still delivered creamy sauce, properly cooked pasta, and a crisp bread-crumb topping. For the best cheese flavor and texture, we used Italian fontina, Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, and Parmesan cheeses. We started with a classic roux-based béchamel—cooking butter with flour and then adding cream—but the amount of cream needed to keep the sauce creamy for reheating left the dish too rich and dense for our tasters. Instead, we swapped out most of the cream for evaporated milk, which delivered a silky texture without being too heavy. To preserve the flavors of the cheeses, we stirred them in off the heat, then cooled the sauce to room temperature before combining it with the pasta. Knowing the pasta would rest in the sauce then bake in the oven, we cooked it just shy of al dente, then rinsed it with cold water to stop the cooking. This allowed it to turn perfectly tender as it baked in the sauce. To keep the sauce from turning gloppy or separating during reheating, we kept the oven temperature low and gave the mixture a thorough stir a few times during baking. Topped with toasted panko bread crumbs and a little more Parmesan, our pasta dinner was silky smooth and rich but not heavy.

1

cup panko bread crumbs

2

tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper

1½

ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)

1

pound penne

2

tablespoons all-purpose flour

2

(12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

1

cup heavy cream

6

ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1½ cups)

4

ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

1½

ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (¾ cup)

TO PREP

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss panko with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly in rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes; let cool to room temperature. Combine cooled panko mixture and ¼ cup Parmesan; transfer to storage container.

2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water, then drain pasta. Rinse pasta with cold water and drain again, leaving pasta slightly wet; leave in colander.

3. Dry now-empty pot, add remaining 4 tablespoons butter, and melt over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in evaporated milk, cream, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to bare simmer, whisking often. Off heat, gradually whisk in fontina, Gorgonzola, Pecorino, and remaining ½ cup Parmesan until melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

4. Stir reserved cooking water and pasta into cooled sauce; transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

TO STORE

5. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate pasta and panko mixture separately for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

TO FINISH AND SERVE

6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Unwrap dish and stir pasta mixture thoroughly. Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil and bake pasta, stirring thoroughly every 10 minutes, until hot throughout, about 30 minutes. Remove foil, stir pasta once more, then sprinkle with panko mixture. Bake, uncovered, until topping is heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.