Sometimes you just NEED a creamy, cheesy bowl of comfort food. That's where this Honeycomb Mac and Cheese comes in! It's loaded with calcium and vitamin B12, plus it's packed with protein thanks to a not-so-secret ingredient (collagen peptides, of course!) and ALL that delicious cheese and milk.But here's the kicker: it's baked in a springform pan so the rigatoni stand up straight and form a honeycomb pattern. Then you use a turkey baster to fill all the nooks and crannies with the cheese sauce. The result? A crispy, golden crust that's just begging to be broken into. Don't forget to pair it with a side of greens for a balanced meal!
Make the bechamel. To a medium pot or large saute pan over medium low heat, add the butter and melt. Once melted, add the flour and whisk until no lumps remain. Continue cooking for a couple minutes, whisking constantly, to remove the raw flour taste, then turn the heat to medium and add the milk. Heat until steamy (but not simmering) and the milk has noticeably thickened up. You can test this by dipping a spoon into the sauce and running your finger down the middle. If the sauce doesn’t start migrating into where you dragged your finger, you’re good. Add the collagen and whisk till dissolved.
Make it a mornay. Turn off the heat, then add the cheese, mustard and spices, then whisk until combined and the cheese is fully melted. At this point, now that the cheeses are added, add salt to taste. Then add the yolks while whisking vigorously to incorporate without them scrambling. If you’re worried about them scrambling, you can add some sauce to a small dish with the egg yolks and whisk to temper before adding the yolks into the rest of the sauce.
Cook your pasta and assemble the honeycomb. Cook your pasta in well salted boiling water until 2 minutes under the al dente time on the package, then strain. Add a little olive oil to your colander with the pasta and toss to prevent sticking. To a 9” springform pan, add a big spoonful of sauce to the bottom and swirl to coat, then arrange your rigatoni so they’re standing on end and filling the entire pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and add the sawce. Ok, so the idea here is to get the sauce into allll the nooks and crannies, meaning inside the noodles and all around ‘em. I used a turkey baster for this, which admittedly is more time consuming than using a pastry bag or make-shift ziploc pastry bag, but I didn’t want to add hot sauce to a plastic bag. Trying to minimize my plastic consumption, ya feel me?
Bake! Once all the rigatonis are filled in and around with sauce, bake for 25 minutes, then remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing the outer spring-form element and serving immediately!
Notes
Yes you want to fill the spring-form pan, but try not to overstuff and squish them in, otherwise you could end up with some fallen soldiers. This happened to me when I filmed – some of those little guys on the outside just didn’t have a sturdy surface once the outer rim was removed. They’re obviously still totally edible and super delicious, though!
This is a very low fiber meal, so balance the situation out with a side of beans, berries, or a hearty salad!
I'm a big eater, a huge fan of pasta (and mac n cheese), and I'm on a mission to prove that indulgence and balance can exist well together without silly restrictions or dieting. Life's too short to eat bad food!
