Serves 4 to 6
My love of all things cowboy inspired this take on mac and cheese. When we want to go all out, we use wagon wheel pasta to carry on the theme. You can make this dish in advance and reheat it right before serving.
8 ounces ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound spaghetti or wagon wheel pasta
1½ cups shredded cheese, such as fontina, smoked Gouda, or Jarlsberg
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in ¼-inch-thick slices
In a skillet, fry the ground beef over medium heat until browned, about 6 minutes. Drain off the fat. Add the garlic, cumin, sea salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has reduced, 30 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes. The pasta should not be cooked completely, because it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour gradually. Raise the heat to medium. Add the milk and whisk continuously for 4 minutes. Lower the heat if the liquid is about to boil. It should thicken and be smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan.
In an 8-inch square nonstick baking pan, layer half of the pasta, meat mixture, cheese sauce, and shredded cheese. Repeat to make another layer of each. Top with the mozzarella slices.
Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.