Smoked Gouda, Mushroom & Sundried Tomato Pasta
Words cannot describe how delicious this pasta is. This pasta recipe came to me on accident. One night I put my husband in charge of making dinner. He had made chicken and pasta. There was nothing wrong with it, it was just a little too plain and simple for my taste. So I thought I would make a quick cheese sauce to put on my pasta because I am a big mac and cheese girl. The only problem was, we only had smoked gouda. So that is exactly what I used. I just made a quick smoked gouda cheese sauce the same way I would make a macaroni and cheese sauce with regular cheddar.
As soon as I tasted the pasta, I was in love with the smoked gouda sauce. I instantly knew I needed to make it again, and make A LOT more of it because it was so delicious. When I decided to make it again I decided to spice it up a bit to make it more of a meal by adding chicken, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes. Let me tell you, this pasta is a game-changer.
What You Will Need
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 lb of smoked gouda. I buy the butt end of the smoked gouda because it has a stronger smoked flavor.
- 1 bag of pasta
- 1 small bag of sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups of milk. You can use cream if you want to make it more rich. I have always made my cheese sauces with milk because I prefer it that way.
- 4 tbsp of butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp of mayonnaise OPTIONAL. I cook the cooking with a thin layer of mayonnaise on it to give it more flavor.
How to Make the Pasta
You will first want to start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray and lay the chicken breasts down. Place 2 tbsp of mayonnaise on the chicken breast. Season it with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, place a large pot over medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and tomatoes and set them aside.
In the same pot, prepare the pasta as instructed on the pasta package. Undercook the pasta by about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Once the pasta is done, set aside with the mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes.
In the same pot over medium heat, melt 4tbsp of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the 4 tbsp of flour and cook for about 30 seconds, while stirring with a whisk.
Add the milk one cup at a time. Stir the milk until it is combined and starts to thicken before adding more milk. Shred the gouda cheese and add all of it to the milk mixture. Stir until completely melted. Like I had mentioned before, I use the “butt end” of the gouda. It is more flavorful. As you can see below, it is more golden in color.
Once the cheese sauce is made, add salt and pepper to taste. Then, add the pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms. Missed the pasta together until it is completely combined. Place in a baking dish and cover with mozzarella cheese.
Bake the pasta at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then, change the oven to broil, and broil the pasta for about 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for a minute or two, then enjoy!
Smoked Gouda, Mushroom & Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
Equipment
- Baking Dish
- Large Pot
- Spoon
Ingredients
- .5 lbs Smoked Gouda I use the end piece because it has more smokey flavor.
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise OPTIONAL – I use this to bake the chicken for extra flavor
- 1 Package Mushrooms
- 1 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
- 2 1/2 Cups Milk I use 2%
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 4 Tbsp Flour
- 1 Pasta
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken breast in the baking dish and cover lightly with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 25 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, heat your pot to medium head with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook your mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes for about 5 minutes. Once done, set aside.
- Using the same pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta as directed on the package, but subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time. This will keep your pasta from being overcooked when you bake it later.
- Once the pasta is done place it with the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. In the same pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for 1 minutes stirring continuously with a whisk.
- Add milk to the flower and butter 1 cup at a time. Stir until the milk starts to thicken, then continue to add more.
- Shred the smoked gouda cheese and add it to the milk mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the cheese is completely combined, add the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and pasta and stir.
- Transfer the pasta from the pot to a casserole dish. Cover the top of the pasta with cheese. Bake the pasta at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then, change the oven to broil, and broil the pasta for about 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for a minute or two, then enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you give this pasta a try, you won’t regret it. Let me know how it goes in the comments below, or any modifications you made to it. I hope you enjoy!
