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Macaroni & Cheese w/ Apples, Walnuts, & Gruyère

Macaroni & Cheese w/ Apples, Walnuts, & Gruyère

This homemade Macaroni & Cheese recipe consists of sweet Maia apples, Greek yogurt, dry white wine, walnuts, and gruyère cheese.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Large Baking Dish
  • Oven
  • Large Pot
  • Skillet
  • Stovetop

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lbs. macaroni (I used jumbo shells)
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. mustard
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1½ c. Greek yogurt (or milk)
  • 1/2 c. white wine (or reserve pasta water, I used sauvignon blanc)
  • 2 c. gruyère grated
  • 1 c. walnuts crushed

Instructions
 

Cook Pasta

  • Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
  • The pasta will cook another half hour in the oven, so make sure not to overcook them during this stage!
  • Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.
  • You may want to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Prepare Roux

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a large baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
  • Preheat saucepan on medium-heat. Add 1/4 cup butter and melt.
  • Immediately when the butter melts, add flour and stir constantly until incorporated. This should take about 3 minutes.
    Do NOT brown or overcook, though. You just want the butter and flour to incorporate until you add the spices.
  • Add spices and Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  • Add Greek yogurt, a little at a time, and stir constantly until incorporated after each addition. Adding too much at once can cause the roux to separate. Although this is less of an issue with yogurt as it is milk or cream, it is still something to watch out for!
  • Meanwhile, grate the cheese and add to roux 1/2 cup at a time. Mix constantly until fully incorporated.
  • Thin the sauce with 1/2 cup dry white wine (or pasta water).
  • Add noodles and stir until fully coated in the cheese sauce.

Bake Macaroni and Cheese

  • Pour macaroni and cheese into greased baking dish.
  • Add crushed nuts.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.
  • Let cool slightly and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve immediately.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

  • I used sauvignon blanc for the wine. It's my favorite white cooking wine because it's one of the dryer whites. Wine releases sugar while it cooks, so an already sweet wine will become sweeter during the cooking process. Although, you still can use a sweeter wine if you prefer! It doesn't have to be good wine, but it does have to be drinkable (that will vary depending on your taste in wine).
  • You can add a dusting of brown sugar or bread crumbs on top of the nuts, for a crunch on top.