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Mac and Cheese with Swiss Chard
At Casa de Suna, we’re all about balance.
We love blending indulgent ingredients like excellent cheeses with seasonal staples: in this case, swiss chard, to create a mac & cheese recipe you’ll want to make over and over. Two important reminders: fusilli is our favorite pasta shape for this dish as it’s designed to catch as much sauce as possible; and undercooking your pasta by about 2 minutes will yield the best results.
How to Make It
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch green Swiss chard, stems removed and reserved for another use
- 1 pkg (500 g) fusilli bucati corti pasta, or other spiral shaped pasta
- 1 ½ cups grated fontina cheese, divided
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¾ kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Arrange rack in center of oven. Preheat to 375°F. Generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Boil a large pot of salted water. Slice chard leaves roughly into 2-inch pieces (you should have about 10 cups). Add chard to boiling water and cook until bright green and tender, about 1 minute. Using a spider, transfer to a large bowl of ice-cold water. Once cool, drain well. Place chard into a clean tea towel. Wring out chard to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a small bowl or plate, breaking up with your fingertips to separate leaves, and set aside.
- Return water to a boil, then add pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but slightly undercooked (pasta will continue cooking in sauce), about 8 minutes. Drain well and let it cool while preparing sauce.
- Toss 1 cup fontina with gruyere and cheddar cheese in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside.
- Return the same large pot to medium heat, then add butter. Once melted, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and continue cooking until the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes (mixture will be thin). Remove from heat, then whisk in half of cheese-mixture, one small handful at a time, just until melted and combined. Whisk in mustard and salt. Season with fresh pepper. Stir in the pasta until fully incorporated using a spatula. Stir in Swiss chard, ensuring leaves are fully distributed. Sprinkle in remaining cheese-mixture, stirring quickly just to combine. Scrape into prepared pan. Sprinkle over remaining ½ cup fontina.
- Bake in center of oven until golden-brown, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.
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