-
1
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
-
2
Toss the tomatoes with the oregano, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and olive oil.
-
3
Lay them out on a baking sheet cut side up (otherwise they'll be impossible to get off the tray), and put the tray in the oven.
-
4
Cook for 45 minutes and then set aside to cool, while keeping your oven on for the mac and cheese.
-
5
For the pasta, follow the instructions on the package, but subtract a couple minutes from the listed time.
-
6
You want the pasta to still be a bit crunchy, as it's going to cook more in the oven later.
-
7
Strain and set aside.
-
8
For the mushrooms, add the butter, mushrooms, thyme and shallots to a skillet over medium high heat.
-
9
Cook until everything starts to brown and caramelize a bit (be careful not to burn too dark; a little burnt is fine though).
-
10
Add the beer, turn the heat down to medium, cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
-
11
Uncover the skillet and cook until all liquid is gone, about 20-30 minutes.
-
12
Remove from heat and set aside.
-
13
Now it's time for the sauce: be ready, you might have to do a couple of things at the same time here.
-
14
Heat up another skillet on medium low heat, and add the butter.
-
15
Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth (it helps to sift the flour before hand).
-
16
Once the flour is fully incorporated, turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 6 or 7 minutes.
-
17
The goal here is to get a nice golden colornot quite brown, but toasted up a bit.
-
18
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pot (put the milk in the pot before you turn the heat on) over medium high until it looks like it's about to boil, then turn it to low.
-
19
Use a ladle to scoop the milk into your butter and flour base while stirring and whisking constantly over low heat.
-
20
Once all the milk is added and incorporated, increase the flame and wait for it to boil, then cook for about 12 minutes (and don't stop stirring!
-
21
).
-
22
Turn off the heat and immediately add your grated cheese (but not the gorgonzola), salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and mix together.
-
23
In a large mixing bowl, mix the mushroom mixture, tomato mixture, pasta, cheese sauce and gorgonzola together.
-
24
Scoop into a buttered 9x13 baking dish and top with the grated parm and bread crumbs.
-
25
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
-
26
You can also make these in individual sized dishes (as long as they're oven-safe).
