For Mac And Cheese That Really Holds Sauce, Turn To Corkscrew Pasta
The legendary tale of mac and cheese traces back to ancient times in the Roman Republic, where it graced tables as a festive dish. Its rich legacy in African American culture then emerged in the 1800s through the culinary prowess of James Hemings. It's become a nostalgic weeknight dinner, a holiday staple, and an affordable dish that's simple to prepare and adapt. While each household may hold its own unique recipe for this comforting meal, choosing pasta shapes remains a topic of debate. Leave the elbow noodles in the cupboard because cavapetti is the perfect match.
Cavapetti pasta, which was surprisingly named after a singer, has that beautiful translucent golden hue and a spindly S or corkscrew shape. With a hollow interior, it's the ultimate vessel for the gooey mac and cheese sauce, as its curvy shape captures all the creamy goodness in all its bends. Unlike elbow pasta, which tends to release the cheese sauce from both ends, the cavapetti traps the cheese between its twists — a bite revealing the prized baked-in delight of cheese. Cavapetti also makes for a stunning appearance as its winding form resembles waves across a sea of creamy yellow shades.
It's no wonder this combination is creating a storm on TikTok when it's such an innovative way to serve up a classic.
Innovation meets a classic
Tineke Younger, a TikTok influencer and former "Next Level Chef" contestant, is leading the cavapetti mac and cheese revolution, as her TikTok video of the pairing went viral, garnishing over 9 million views so far.
@tinekeyounger Showing yall how to make Mac N cheese for this holiday season🫶🏼
Younger's video was hailed as "THE best Mac and cheese" and earned trust with comments like "In Tini we trust," demonstrating the widespread support from the TikTok community she received. Her simple take on this classic uses a glorious blend of freshly grated mozzarella, Colby Jack, and sharp cheddar. Yet she also mentions a couple of handy tips. The first is the recommendation of corkscrew noodles due to their distinctive ability to ensnare the cheese sauce with twists and turns.
The next is only to use freshly grated cheese. While she doesn't expand on this point, it is generally considered that ungrated cheese is of a higher quality than its shredded sibling, which tends to have preservatives to keep it from clumping. These additives can hinder the melt-ability of the cheese in the sauce, so it is imperative to choose an ungrated block that will smoothly blend.
The art of cavapetti
This combination of cavapetti and cheese sauce makes perfect sense when selecting which pasta shapes to pair with which sauce. Yet, the corkscrew shape of cavapetti is not only sublime at capturing sauce inside its hollow body, but it commonly has rigids along its exterior form. This surface offers the perfect grip for cheese, as its wavy contours serve as adhesive hands for the delightful creamy sauce to latch to.
Cavapetti's structure also makes it the perfect vessel for other sauces. Cavapetti Amatriciana, classically served at Carrabba's Italian Grill, sees these noodles paired with a light tomato and deliciously salty pancetta sauce. It would mix equally well with a richly spiced ragu or herby pesto. Its versatility reaches no end, as it would also work exceptionally well in a cherry tomato and mozzarella pasta salad with a light dressing of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. However, whenever preparing this pasta, it's important to note that dried cavapetti does not contain salt. Hence, it's imperative to salt the boiling water generously for this pasta (it should taste like a mouthful of seawater).
If you're looking for a fresh and exciting way to elevate mac and cheese, cavapetti holds the key. This curvaceous, spiraled pasta is brimming with potential.