Cookin' With Meghan: Noodles and Company Mushrom Mac

A few months ago I visited my mom, and we went to this amazing chain restaurant in Lancaster (I know they're all over now) called Noodles and Company. One of the cool things other than it being a restaurant entirely dedicated to noodles was that it let you add stuff to some of the dishes. So I got this amazing cheddar mac n' cheese with mushrooms added.

Fast forward to last month when I would at random just get a craving for this mac n' cheese. Finally today, I decided that my mister could have leftovers (another recipe I will probably share with you in the future - sausage and beef mushroom spaghetti) and I was making myself some heart attack worthy pasta.

I texted this pic to my mom, who requested a tutorial! So this is for her. Love ya, mom!

Sorry for the Instagram photo, it was all I had!

I am not good at making recipes, so this is more of a loose guide. I grew up making fettucini alfredo with my mom, so I basically used that theory only subbing my parmesan with cheddar.

You'll need:

1 box of spiral noodles (they might be called rotini but I might be making them up. Is that the brand?)
1 large brick of sharp cheddar cheese SHARP SHARP SHARP
1 package of portobello mushrooms
4-5 cloves of garlic, grated with a zester into a paste
1 large carton of heavy cream (you won't use all of it, but you will use most of it)
A stick of butter. YES THE WHOLE STICK.

OK. So start a pot of water boiling and cook your pasta. I like mine to be a little al dente, and that works well with this recipe since you will cook them part of the time in the sauce. Basically, just follow the directions on the box because someone already wrote those for you and I don't have time to teach you to boil water.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt half a stick of butter and then add your garlic paste to that. I use a paste because I like a smooth consistency but if you just want to chop your garlic into little pieces you can do that as well. After a few minutes, when the butter and the garlic (maybe some salt and pepper in there to, to taste) have become friends, add your mushrooms and cook them until they are sort of soft. Put them to the side once cooked because this is a topping to your mac.

While the noodles are boiling away, shred your brick of cheddar. I won't lie, I like the Giant brand generic bricks. I used a big one- but two of the smaller ones would probably work. Once you've drained your pasta, put it back on the burner. Set the heat to low, and then add your other half stick of butter. While the butter is melting into your hot noodles, also add (slowly) your heavy cream. Use about 50% of the large carton, and then judge. I like saucy noodles so I ended up using closer to 80% of the carton, but if you like drier noodles you might not need as much. Stir the butter, noodles and cream together and then start adding your cheese. I go slowly and use handfuls. I start with two handfuls, and stir while cooking over low heat. I used the whole brick, but I recognize that might not be the healthiest option (look, it wasn't turning yellow and I thought I had to have yellow mac). It's also about how cheesy you want your mac to be!

As soon as the cream, cheese and butter have all become one with your noodles, kill the heat and grab a bowl because you're done. Put your garlic mushrooms on top and maybe a little pepper (because I like things spicy).

That's it! That's my recipe for the most delicious mac n' cheese I've ever had.