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Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 7, 2011

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped fine1 small onion, chopped fine2 garlic cloves, minced½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Ground black pepper Salt 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup frozen peas 1 cup shredded Italian 4-cheese blend (see recipe headnote)¾ pound penne pasta or ziti (about 4 cups)

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve.
Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

Baked Four-Cheese Pasta

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper
Salt
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian 4-cheese blend (see recipe headnote)
¾ pound penne pasta or ziti (about 4 cups)

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper
Salt
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian 4-cheese blend (see recipe headnote)
¾ pound penne pasta or ziti (about 4 cups)

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper
Salt
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian 4-cheese blend (see recipe headnote)
¾ pound penne pasta or ziti (about 4 cups)

Why This Recipe Works

Most recipes for baked four-cheese pasta produce heavy pasta casseroles with stringy cheese and mushy noodles. To perfect this classic Italian pasta dish, we used a preshredded Italian cheese blend, which was much more efficient than buying and grating four different types of cheese. And we cooked the pasta with a measured amount of liquid on the stovetop before baking it briefly to ensure that the noodles were tender but not mushy.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve.

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