Smoked Salmon Pasta Bake

I was never a fan of "macaroni and cheese". Not as a child, nor as a starving student, nor a starving artist, nor a wilderness camper in the middle of Algonquin in the pouring rain with nothing else to eat. There's simply never been a time in my life when consuming those boxed dinners of macaroni noodles and powdered "cheese" product seemed like a good idea. When I recently came across Clever Karen's recipe for "Grown Up Mac n' Cheese" however, my eyes were opened to the potential of this (much-maligned-by-the-insta-food-industry) dish and I was inpired to try my own hand at a "macaroni & cheese" creation. This was the result.



Ingredients:

• 1 lb (dry weight) whole wheat rotini
  
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
  
• 1 cup tzatziki
  
• 150 g chèvre
  
• fresh dill
  
• 3/4 cup grated aged Cheddar cheese
  
• 3/4 cup grated Lancashire cheese
  
• 3/4 cup grated Montery Jack cheese with hot pepper flakes
  
• 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
  
• 200 g smoked salmon, torn into small pieces
  
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

Cook pasta until al dente.
Cream together ricotta, tzatziki and chèvre in a large bowl.
Stir in Cheddar, Lancashire, Jack & Swiss cheeses and dill.
Add pasta and salmon to cheese mixture and combine well.
Transfer contents to a large lasagna pan or other oven-proof dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Remove foil, top with grated parmesan and bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
Serve warm.