Cheesy Cavatappi Pasta | COOKTORIA

June 11, 2023 from Tania Sheff · This post may contain affiliate links

The Cheesy Cavatappi Pasta is a rich and delicious dish that you will love. Versatile and easy to make, this easy recipe is perfect for busy weeknight dinners.

Creamy, cheesy and rich, this cavatappi pasta recipe is a real crowd pleaser. It’s hard not to love this filling dish made with al dente pasta, two cheeses, and simple seasonings. The cheddar cheese has a tangy flavor and the parmesan is salty and nutty, which together make for a really flavorful cheese sauce. Your family will definitely love this dish.

What makes this recipe great is that it’s delicious on its own, but you can easily add and substitute ingredients to make sure there’s something for every taste. Its flavor is mild enough to pair well with meat, vegetables, and other spices. You will be amazed at how versatile and easy this recipe is! Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll be using.

video guide

ingredient list

• Cavatappi pasta.
• whipped cream. Or half and half.
• Cheddar cheese.
• parmesan cheese
• Salt.
• Black pepper.

How to make cavatappi pasta

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. (Cavatapi usually cooks in 9 minutes.)

2. While the pasta is cooking, pour the cream into a large pan. Add cheddar, parmesan, salt and pepper. Let everything simmer gently. Keep it on very low heat until the noodles are cooked.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well. Use pasta water to thin the sauce (I use about ¼ cup water). Serve and enjoy!

Tips for the best cavatappi pasta with cheese

• Cook the pasta al dente. Cook the pasta al dente so it doesn’t overcook and get mushy when you add it to the warm cheese sauce.
• Save some pasta water. This water is enriched with starch from the pasta and works much better than regular water when adding to a cheese sauce to thin it out.
• Use high fat cream. The fat in the cream lends itself better to a cheese sauce than skim milk because it emulsifies with the cheese and makes a thick, creamy sauce.
• Crush block cheese. Pre-grated cheese is tossed in starch so it doesn’t stick together in the bag, thus preventing it from melting. Chopping block cheese gives you the best cheese for making a sauce.

Variations on this recipe

• add protein. Make these cavatappi pasta with cheese even more filling with diced grilled chicken, meatballs, bacon bits or shrimp.
• Replace them with another pasta. You can make this with other smaller pasta types like rigatoni, farfalle, clams, and rotini. You can also use gluten-free pasta.
• Make it sharp. Give this cheesy pasta a kick by adding some red pepper flakes to the cheese sauce.
• Add vegetables. Try this dish with some veggies like peas, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, yellow squash, or roasted red peppers.

How to store and warm it up

After cooling, store these cavatappi pasta with cheese in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. You may need to add some whipping cream to rehydrate the sauce as it will soak into the pasta as it sits.

What should you serve this with?

• proteins. Combine this pasta dish with Roasted Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breast, Spinach Stuffed Chicken, Spinach Stuffed Salmonor pork chops from the air fryer.
• Vegetables. Serve with your favorite veggies, like this one Steamed Asparagus, Vegetarian Kale, Steamed Broccoli Rabeor Fajita Vegetables.
• salads. Enjoy a salad with this cheesy cavatappi pasta. try this Spring salad, refreshing cucumber salad, kale salad with quinoaor Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad.
• Bread. Dip some bread in this cheese sauce to soak up all the deliciousness. they will love it Garlic bread from the air fryer or Potato Flatbread.

I hope you love this cavatappi cheese pasta as much as we do. It’s aromatic, rich and deliciously creamy. Perfect for a quick weeknight cook-up, this versatile recipe is easy to adjust to suit any taste. This is a dish that you will love to have in your repertoire. Enjoy!

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