• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Mac n Cheese

[heart_this] · May 19, 2011 · 16 Comments

Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Mac n Cheese

A spring time take on mac and cheese with asparagus and ramp pesto in a creamy gruyere cheese sauce.

In addition to having the first of the fresh local asparagus at the farmers market this past weekend, they also had some ramps, otherwise known as wild leeks. Ramps have a white bulb on one end and leafy green leaves on the other end. They smell a lot like garlic but they have more of an onion flavour and they can be used in pretty much any dish that calls for anything from green onions to onions to leeks. I first came across wild leeks a few years ago and I have been hooked on them ever since. One of the first things that I did with the ramps was to make a ramp pesto and when I thought about that I remembered an idea that I had been wanting to try for a while and that was for a pesto mac and cheese.
That was all that I needed, and my mind was already racing; How about an asparagus and ramp pesto mac n cheese? As luck would have it I still had some Louis D’or cheese, the cheese that won the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix this year, and I figured that it would work wonderfully in the mac n cheese. (I would definitely have gone with gruyere otherwise.) Since I enjoyed the cheese bechamel sauce from the asparagus gratin that used the water that the asparagus was cooked in for the liquid, I decided to use that for the cheese filling. Finally I added a hit of grainy mustard to give the whole thin a mild bite and add a bunch of flavour.
This asparagus and ramp pesto mac n cheese definitely screams spring especially with all of the green in it! Luckily it is still cool enough to have the oven on, though this mac n cheese would be worth it even if it were on the hotter side as the asparagus, ramp pesto, melted cheese and grainy mustard flavour combination was simply amazing! This recipe makes a lot and I have been enjoying the leftovers for lunches at work throughout the week. The wild leek pesto worked surprisingly well well in a mac and cheese dish and I will have to explore the idea of pestos in mac and cheese further!

Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Mac n Cheese

Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Mac n Cheese

Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Mac n Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4

A spring time take on mac and cheese with asparagus and ramp pesto in a creamy gruyere cheese sauce.

ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cleaned, reserving the stems
  • 1 pound pasta, your choice (gluten free for gluten free)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour (rice flour or masa harina for gluten free)
  • 2 cups gruyere or Louis D’or, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
  • 1/2 cup pesto ramp pesto
  • 1 cup gruyere or Louis D’or, grated
directions
  1. Bring the water and reserved asparagus stems to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes then remove the stems from the water.
  2. Add the asparagus to the water and simmer until just tender, about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove the asparagus from the water and set aside, reserving 2 cup of the water.
  4. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
  5. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it is bubbling and it has turned a light golden brown.
  6. Mix in the flour and let simmer until it returns to a light golden brown.
  7. Mix in the reserved asparagus water and cheese and heat until the sauce has thickened and the cheese has melted.
  8. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and mix in the mustard, ramp pesto, and asparagus and pour the mixture into a baking dish.
  9. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until golden brown on the top and bubbling on the sides, about 30-40 minutes.
Similar Recipes:
Asparagus Gratin
Wild Leek (aka Ramp) Pesto on Penne
Asparagus and Ramp Pesto Pasta
Creamy Pea and Artichoke Pesto Pasta Salad
Ramp Pesto Omelette with Asparagus and Goat Cheese
Chicken Cordon Bleu Quinoa Casserole
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Spinach and Feta Cheese Tortellini

Take a look at the Presto Pasta Nights roundup on Kitchen Alchemist.

Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. BeeMore says

    May 19, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Totally creative and it looks amazing. I will be looking for ramps at Reading Terminal this coming week.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:15 am

    Pretty! And very appropriate for spring. I love your recipes, by the way! I make your hot spinach and artichoke dip for company, and it is always a big hit.

    Reply
  3. robin says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:23 am

    These looks fabulous! How creative.

    Reply
  4. Tacconelli says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:47 am

    this sounds amazing. will definitely make someday soon. i love to cook and i love your blog!

    http://dtacconelli.com

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:27 am

    I'd never heard of ramp pesto until now. Yum!

    Reply
  6. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:35 am

    That Mac & Cheese is just fabulous! Gorgeous flavors and a wonderful use of two of my favorite spring ingredients.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  7. Joanne says

    May 20, 2011 at 10:23 am

    You are undoubtedly a culinary genius! First of all – pesto in mac and cheese. Second of all – RAMP pesto in mac and cheese. Love!

    Reply
  8. jillian :: cornflake dreams. says

    May 20, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    YUM! looks delicious… kinda a fancy pants mac and cheese 😉 xoxo jillian:: cornflake dreams

    Reply
  9. Erin says

    May 20, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    I've never thought about putting asparagus in mac and cheese, but with the pesto I am convinced!

    Reply
  10. Rocky Mountain Woman says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    I seriously had a instantaneous physical reaction to that pic.

    My heart leaped a little and my mouth started to water…

    What a food dork I am…

    Reply
  11. Missie says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Oh my! This looks amazing! Two of my favorite things put together…heavenly!

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    May 21, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    Delicious! this is a sophisticated version of Mac n Cheese 🙂

    Reply
  13. Meaghan Luby says

    May 21, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    asparagus and mac and cheese! wow. wish i had thought of that myself. thanks for sharing! i adore this 🙂
    -meg
    @ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com

    Reply
  14. LaelShine says

    May 21, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    oh yeah, making this for sure this week. I just picked up ramps here in Edmonton and will be enjoying them for the first time. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  15. Culinary Cory says

    May 22, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    This is really creative. I love ramps. I had pickled ones the other day. They were so refreshing.

    Reply
  16. Lucy Lu says

    May 22, 2011 at 8:50 pm

    it makes me hungryyyyy

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.