Contributed by Rachael, Ancesister @ Ancestreats.

This recipe is my first submission under our new category of Quarantine Cooking. I prepared it on Day 60 of the Great Pause of 2020: staying at home because of the novel coronavirus.

It’s a savory main dish. In sum: it’s a firm-textured, dairy-based, noodle casserole baked in a bundt cake pan. Slice it as you would a sweet cake, and serve the pieces hot, warm, or cool. It would be great for a potluck or a picnic. And yes, we will hold those events someday in the future. I made this recipe for my daughter’s 8th birthday celebration-family dinner. She loved it. So did my other kids. Because it was easy to slice, they confidently self-served themselves a second round for lunch the next day. Win-win!

A Mac N’ Cheese Bundt is made with items from a typically stocked American pantry. During these trying times you may have to substitute the pasta shape or varieties of cheeses used. But who cares? Use what you have and enjoy it. In the recipe below, I put in parenthesis some substitutions you might use because of what’s readily available in your kitchen right now.  This recipe produces comforting food that can be treated to an elegant presentation if you feel like being fancy. At least pair the cake with bright-colored vegetables. I served this as the main dinner entre, accompanied by a side of steamed broccoli florets and halved Soy Sauce Eggs.

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Serves 10-12: depending on the generous size of your slices.

Baking Equipment: one 10-12 inch bundt pan.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded for the first layer (or mild, or extra sharp)
• 4-5 T unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs (or panko; or seasoned crumbs)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 T dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp mild red chile powder (or green chile powder, or paprika)
• 2 cups buttermilk (re-hydrated from powdered will work, or plain unsweetened soymilk or unsweetened almond milk; or goat milk–you get the picture, right?)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (or sour cream, or plain yogurt)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups Mexican mixed cheeses, shredded (or Colby Jack, or a combination of whatever you have; ie: gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella)
• 16 oz dry pasta, boiled in salted water to just past al-dente.  Small-medium sized shapes are best. I used nickel-sized pasta shells (or use standard elbows, or orecchiette; or break up spaghetti strings into 1/4 lengths, etc.)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F at sea level; 375F for high-altitude.
• Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, make sure to go around the central stem of the pan.
• Evenly distribute the shredded cheddar on the first layer inside the bundt pan.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine melted butter, 1/3 of the bread crumbs, red pepper, mustard, chile powder/paprika. Whisk in the buttermilk, milk, and eggs. Mix together to form the “cake batter.”
• Add the remaining cheeses and stir together for a uniform consistency.
• Add the strained hot cooked pasta. If you are using a funny shaped pasta, make sure the batter gets into the crevices or folds of the shape. Mix it into the batter: cheese will melt into the hot pasta noodles. This is “noodle batter.”
• Pour the noodle batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Spread out with a small spatula so the noodle batter gets evenly distributed.
• Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle remaining 1/3 bread crumbs on the bottom of the noodles. There should be enough to cover the full exposed layer of the noodle batter. Replace to the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
• Cool the cake pan for 20-30 minutes. Place the serving plate or platter on top of the cake pan, then invert the bundt pan onto the serving platter. It make take a few jiggles to get it out without breakage. If at first it won’t come loose, flip the plate and cake pan back over and poke a small spatula around the cake edges to pry it loose. Retry the inversion.
• You can slice the cake when it’s cool enough to touch with one’s hands.
• Cut the cake slices as people wish to eat it. If you’re cooking this to prepare it as a make-ahead item for meals, don’t slice it up until you are ready to eat (and re-heat) the pieces.  Refrigerate the leftover portion of the cake in its whole form: keep it covered on the serving plate, or move it into a food tub with a sealed lid so it stays fresh. For a family of 4, you’ll squeeze two meals out of this pleaser.