Philly Cheesesteak Mac & Cheese

When I came across this recipe on Krista's Kitchen a few month's ago, I just knew that I had to try it for it was bringing together two things that I really enjoy. Within a short amount of time, I had procured all the necessary ingredients, but, for some reason I just didn't ever get around to making it. I knew that I needed to get to it soon, or risk losing the cheese to spoilage, so I invited Laura, Whitney & Billy over to have dinner and watch So You Think You Can Dance.

I knew that the recipe was originally adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, so theoretically, it was supposed to take just 30 minutes. Well I have tried some of her recipes in the past, and had yet to be able to get done from start to finish in under 30 minutes, so I started an hour before it was time to eat. But to my surprise, this actually came together really quickly and I was done before my guests even arrived! The part that took the longest was just getting the water boil in order to cook the pasta!

This pasta was rich, but not too rich, and the flavor of Philly really shined through. I served it with some garlic toast and steamed green beans. I would make this again, especially since the leftovers are really delicious....cold!

Philly Cheesesteak Mac & Cheese

adapted from Krista's Kitchen

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound bow tie pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 c. skim milk
3 c. Mozzarella & Provolone cheese, shredded
1/2 c. beef broth
1 pkg. Steak Umms slices, roughly chopped

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in. While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onions to the pan and top them with a lid or piece of aluminum foil for 2-3 minutes, just to get them cooking. Remove the lid or aluminum foil and continue cooking the onions until tender and lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium-size pot. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture slowly and bring up to a bubble to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and reserve.

To the skillet with the onions, add the broth and the Steak Umms. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.Add the cheese sauce and the onion-beef mixture to the pot with the drained pasta and toss everything to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with additional cheese and parsley. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.