Gruyere and Pepper Jack Rigati Pasta

Who doesn't love some serious carbs on a snowy December day? This girl loves them. There was too much sleet on the ground to make it to Panera for their famous (my favorite) commercial mac & cheese, so I decided to make some of my own.

You can use any small-shell pasta you like in this dish, but I chose rigati shell pasta because the cheese sauce tends to get sucked up into the shell -- yumm. And you want as much cheesy goodness in every bite as you can handle.

Well, hellooooo there beautiful.

Ingredients:

2 cups rotini or other small shell dry pasta

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional: for a spicy kick)

Parmesan, for dusting

Directions:

1. Bring whole milk and heavy cream to a simmer on a stovetop. Add rotini pasta when milk and cream have begun to bubble and steam, and reduce heat.

2. Cook pasta on low heat for 15 minutes. After fifteen minutes, add in shredded cheeses, ground peppercorn, and, if desired, paprika. Stirring occasionally, cook pasta for five more minutes or until cheese is melted and a thick sauce is formed. Add a small amount of milk if the sauce is too thick for your taste.

3. Serve immediately and enjoy hot!

Happy wintering to you and yours!

--Alyssa