Spring Shells and Cheese

As promised here is another macaroni and cheese recipe. This was one of five recipes included in an article about mac and cheese in Food Network Magazine. It's also where I got the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. I like dishes like this one with the veggies in it. It's one less thing to worry about when making dinner. This was pretty yummy and pretty easy. The flavor reminded me of a vegetable lasagna. The only problem for me was when I shredded the zucchini in my Cuisinart and then couldn't get the lid off. My zucchini was stuck until my husband could get home and work his handyman magic on it. We ended up having to wait till the next day for our mac and cheese. Anyway, it was worth the wait and it went great with some grilled pork chops that I had marinated (for over a day at that point) in McCormick Grill Mates Garlic Herb & Wine marinade. The whole family loved it and, even though my kids are pretty good with their veggies, this was a great way to get some in them.

Recipe (Serves 6-8)

2 lbs zucchini
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 c flour
1/2 t nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
6 cups whole milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 pound medium pasta shells
4 shallots, minced
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 oz parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
4 oz gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups) (I used aged swiss)
4 oz baby spinach

Grate zucchini, toss with 1 T salt and place into a colander. Allow to drain for 15 minutes and then squeeze out the excess liquid (This step is important - I don't think I did this enough and my dish ended up more liquidy than I would have liked).

Melt 4 T butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and add thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer to thicken, about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 425. Cook pasta shells to al dente according to package instructions. Add to sauce.

Melt 4 T butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini and egg yolks to pasta mixture. Reserve about 3 T of each cheese and add the rest to the pasta along with the spinach and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish, top with reserved cheese and bake about 25-30 minutes, until browned on top. Let rest about 10 minutes and serve.