Thursday Recipe

I love Giada De Laurentiis' pasta recipes. I've profiled them here before. This one is to die for - especially if you are a fettuccine fan. It's almost like an Italian version of homemade macaroni and cheese. So good.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fettuccine pasta
• 2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
• 2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Aiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.