About two years ago, Brian and I were back in my home town and decided that we’d make an impromptu stop at Michael Symon’s restaurant, Bar Symon. We had heard rave reviews from family and friends about both the atmosphere and the food. Of course, I fell in love with the place immediately.
The restaurant was situated in a shopping center in Avon, Ohio. It was a quaint space with masculine, gray toned decor, a flying pig logo and a perfect bar full of an incredible selection of beer. The menu was simplistic and full of Michael Symon staples like pierogies and pork. Since our first visit, we dined there numerous times and although everything was beautiful and more importantly delicious, nothing stood out in my mind like their Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary.
The Mac and Cheese was creamy, tangy and perfectly infused with fresh rosemary. The roasted chicken made it hearty and “manly” enough for Brian to accept as a main course. It’s one of those dishes that forces you to instinctively close your eyes and truly enjoy what is dancing around in your mouth. It was love at first bite and I knew I had to find a way to replicate it at home. You can probably imagine how jazzed I was when I discovered that the recipe was from Symon’s book, Live to Cook.
I must say that I was pretty amazed that such a gorgeous plate of food consisted of such a short list of ingredients. And the ingredients are not the only thing that’s simple about this recipe – the prep work is also a breeze. I used leftover roasted chicken from the night before, but you can make it even more simplistic by picking up a rotisserie chicken from your local market. Although I was pretty upset when I learned that Bar Symon was closing its doors last fall, I’ll remember it for turning me on to one of the most delectable mac and cheese recipes that I’ve ever eaten and will be forever replicating in my own kitchen.
I hope you’ll join Katie and I this week and share your favorite recipe that uses fresh herbs for our Shenandoah Growers Organic Fresh Herbs Holiday Recipe Exchange. Shenandoah Growers offer high-quality, organic, fresh herbs that are perfect for all of your Holiday recipes. You can connect with Shenandoah Growers on Facebook and Twitter for product information and delicious recipes.
Head on over to Good Life Eats and check out Katie’s recipe for Fresh Herb and Citrus Turkey Brine.
Mac & Cheese with Roasted Chicken
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound dried rigatoni
1 quart heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
8 ounces goat cheese
2 cups shredded roasted chicken
salt and pepper to tasteDirections:
1. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Add the oil and rigatoni to the water and cook according to the directions on the package, 10-12 minutes.
2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, pour the cream into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rosemary and garlic to the cream and bring it to a simmer - take care not to let it boil over. Allow the cream to reduce by about half.
3. Stir in the goat cheese and chicken and continue cooking cooking it till the cream coats the back of a spoon.
4. Thoroughly drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Serve hot.-My Baking Addiction adapted from Live to Cook
Shenandoah Growers even has holiday trio packs that include living organic Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage, so they’re perfect for holiday cooking. Festively wrapped with an elegant holiday greeting card, they also make an excellent hostess gift. Look for the Holiday Trio Pack in your local supermarket.
How To Participate
For a chance to win a $200 Cash Card:
- Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring FRESH HERBS.
- Include “Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Shenandoah Growers Organic Fresh Herbs.” in your blog post.
- No blog? Just leave your recipe in the comments section.
- Add your link to the widget on either GoodLife Eats or My Baking Addiction (we have the same widget code, so only add it on one site).
- Submit your post before Nov. 14, 11:59 PM.
- Anyone can participate in the link up, but the prizes will ship to US addresses only.
- More detailed info are available here.
Link Up Your Recipes:
Love any of the recipes featured in today’s Holiday Recipe Exchange? If so, be sure to to use the Ziplist Web Recipe Clipper to add your holiday favorites to your online recipe box.
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This Week's Prize:
$200 cash card.
Prizes provided by Shenandoah Growers Organic Fresh Herbs.
Recipe Theme Schedule:
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{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum, this looks SO good! I love rich, creamy mac and cheese, it’s hard to beat on a cold night!
um… YUMMY!! That looks so tasty! Might just have to pin this
where can i find the holiday trio pack from Shenandoah Growers that is in the above text?
Terri-
Here is a list of some of the grocery stores that will carry this item:
ACME
Rouses
Whole Foods
Giant
Martin’s
The Fresh Market
Many of these stores will begin carrying it late this week through Thanksgiving, then again as we get into December. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
Mac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food!! I love this take on a family favourite.
A QUART of heavy cream? Whoa…
I thought the same thing! Wonder how it would be with half and half substituted for all or part of that.
I found it to be a bit too heavy with all of that cream, but a really yummy recipe overall
I made this last night, with 50% cream and 50% half and half, and it was incredible. I haven’t tried it the other way, but I now don’t think i ever would… in fact it was still so creamy, that next time I might go to 2/3 half and half. This is such a great recipe, and the fact that it was quick to prepare made it even better.
Anytime I see goat cheese listed in a recipe, I know it’s going to be delicious. Thanks so much for sharing–this would be a perfect Thanksgiving side.
This looks so delicious and sinful! Can’t wait to eat it.
I love rosemary with chicken and my mouth is watering at the thought of a goat cheese mac and cheese. This is my kind of meal!
I’ve made a bunch of stuff from Live to Cook but haven’t tried this recipe yet – and my husband doesn’t need an excuse to eat mac and cheese as an entree, so he’ll be super pleased!
This looks really good! No baking too which is a plus.
oooh, I love a good mac and cheese!!!
I linked up my brined rack of pork!
My mouth is watering! That looks so incredible!
Yum! Guess what I have in my fridge right now? BBQ’d chicken, goat cheese and heavy cream! It’s like my stars have all aligned!
Looks like an amazing dish. Sometimes it’s the simple dishes that impress us the most. 
What a GREAT recipe! I love that this has goat cheese in it! I’ve used it in a pasta with tomatoes & spinach, but never thought to use it as a mac&cheese dish! Thanks!
Holy yum! A must try recipe for cool weather – it’s so drool-worthy
Amaziiiiing, what an awesome mac & cheese recipe!! I love finding new flavor combo’s in your posts!
The goat cheese you put really makes a difference with its distinctive taste. And it’s healthier that cow cheese! Bravo.
A couple weekends ago I visited his burger joint, the B Spot, for the first time. He totally nailed it. I was really impressed when I bit into my burger and found it was cooked exactly like I had requested. Seems like a simple detail but it really made all the difference.
We also had to try the apple pie bacon milkshake..something you definitely need to get in on the next time you are in town
I am also giving you a round of applause for using a whole quart of cream in your recipe. You’re my kind of people!
My favorite recipe with fresh herbs is Herb Butter, it’s fantastic on EVERYTHING:
Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
1.In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat until well blended. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
I love this recipe for mac and cheese! It looks oh-so-creamy and delicious!
This is just too gorgeous. Looks like the best mac and cheese of all time…the only thing that would make it better is if you came over and made if for me!!
Wow, this is one beautiful and sophisticated grown up mac and cheese!!
This looks *fantastic*. Bookmarked!
Wow! This looks like the ultimate mac and cheese! Its almost too simple to call it that. I can’t wait to make this sometime!
what do you do with the oil listed?
Toni-
Sorry – it gets added to the water when you add the rigatoni. Thanks for pointing that out – I have made the correction.
-Jamie
Oh my goodness; this is my dream dish. Just about perfect!
This looks delicious! I love trying new dishes to create and this looks like one I just may have to try! Thank you for sharing!
Oh wow!! This looks amazing!
I’m such a big goat cheese lover, so this recipe is really calling my name!
This macaroni and cheese looks fabulous! It’s like a gourmet version of the classic – yum!
I was wondering if you could suggest a good goat cheese to use? I have never used it before and this recipe seems like a good one to start with!
Thanks!
That Mac ‘n Cheese looks amazing. Definitely making it, as I have ter ro not love a MIchael Symonn recipe – they always turn out exactly as hoped.
I linked up my Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi with Creamy Mushrooms and Sage
Wow…typos galore. Make that ‘I have YET TO NOT LOVE a Michael Symon recipe” lol
Wow! That looks beyond amazing. I am pinning it so that I can try it for pasta night in the near future.
Love this post – comfort food! Got to you via Foodgawker. We are a new food platform – Check us out and submit your work!
Gorgeous photos!
This looks heavenly. I don’t even know what to say except I want this right now!
Loving the fresh rosemary in this dish. The pictures look delicious. We’re bookmarking this one for future cooking!
Oh WOW, this looks incredible! What a great idea to pair a protein with something as decadent as Mac & Cheese!! Love it!
This is rigatoni and cheese, not macaroni and cheese! A spade is a spade except when it’s a hand-drill!! All the same, it looks delicious right now at 1 o’clock.
Sorry Bug, but macaroni is a traditional Italian pasta and means anything tubular, including rigatoni. Elbow noodles are commonly used in America and are sometimes labeled “Macaroni”, but traditional macaroni is, in fact rigatoni.
Made this tonight- SOOO good, thank you for posting! YUM!
My favorite recipe made with fresh herbs is simple, but tasty. I like serving it at get togethers because vegans, vegetarians and omnivores enjoy it. It’s also gluten and dairy free!
My olive spread uses 1tsp on sage, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, pinch of cayenne, 1 garlic glove, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 c olive oil, 1 c walnuts, 1/2 lb pitted olives.
First, chop up olives and 3 tbsp toasted walnuts in a food processor. Add olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, and cayenne pepper and process until pureed. Stir in remaining 1/4 c. chopped toasted walnuts.
Serve on chopped veggies, crackers, melba toast, etc.
I saw this recipe and it looked delicious, so I had to try it right away. I found that it was really bland, though, even after adding salt, pepper, garlic salt and garlic powder. I also couldn’t really taste the goat cheese.
I love everything but the goat cheese! but its sounds great
This dish looks and sounds so incredibly good!
I found your blog via Sacramento Street and am now following
fashiontruffles.blogspot.com
Thanks for the tip abut Shenandoah Growers. I live an hour from Harrisonburg & had no idea they were there. It’ll be helpful when stuff is out of season at the farmer’s market. And that Mac & cheese looks divine.
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Wednesday and yesterday we were looking for a tasty but easy recipe for our “thanksgiving” dinner…this was so perfect!! It was simple, elegant, and SO delicious! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.
I just saw someone pin this on Pinterest and it made me so happy! I’m from Cleveland, living in Florida and I have been craving this dish! It is definitely one of my favorites!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made this last night with one alteration… before serving, I threw it all in a baking dish, topped it with some panko mixed with parmesan, and baked it for about 10 mins to brown the panko – it added a nice little crunch. My husband said it was the best thing I’d ever made… thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
I made this, and the whole family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
I came across this recipe via Pinterest and made it tonight for dinner. It was fabulous! I loved the balance of the goat cheese and rosemary with the rich cream. Thanks for posting it!!
Made this tonight and instead of the heavy cream I substituted a mixture of whole milk and half and half, plus 2 tsp cornstarch to thicken the sauce. It was a little on the bland side – maybe a Tbsp or two of butter melted in would have made it taster richer without adding as much fat. Or maybe a few tbsp of parmesan would have amped the flavor. The garlic/rosemary combo was nice though and I think this is worth experimenting with more for a healthier version. (I’m sure the full fat version is delicious as written)
I just stumbled across this recipe as I was looking for a unique & fresh take on basic mac n cheese … oh my goodness. I just made this for a company potluck and it was the first thing to go. It was SO good – I prepared the sauce the morning of and only cooked my rigatoni for a few minutes – then I combined everything in a crockpot and set it to warm until lunch – it was perfect. The noodles were perfectly done and the sauce was sooo creamy. Thank you so much for sharing!
You are inspiring me to cook more w fresh ingredients and get my kids away from packaged products full of preservatives! Totally want to try this recipe as my 5 year old is “addicted” to mac and cheese and I Hate the boxed kind.
SOO Bland. was so excited about this. But, the flavors were not that great. I even added some shrooms and roasted asparagus. Still bland. It was very pretty and fairly easy, but I won’t make it again
this looks delish! will definitely have to try making it.
Plan on making this tonight once I figure out how many calories it would be. Worried about the heavy cream and might have to find a substitution. Looks delicious though.
Where did you get those little dishes? Are they cast iron, they look so rustic and I would really like to find them!
Hi!
They are made by Lodge, I picked them up at Cabbella’s. Hope this helps.
Jamie
Jaime!
You are too awesome! I was able to find them on the Lodge website and will now be picking up 6 of these little guys. Though I hope the girlfriend doesn’t get too upset at my “constant and spontaneous buying of random dinnerware”!
-H
Hello! Came across this recipe on Pintrest and want to make it tonight. I was wondering what the garnish you have on top is in the photo? It doesn’t look like rosemary…
Thanks!
Michelle-
The garnish is flat leaf, Italian parsley. I hope you enjoyed the mac and cheese. Have a great day!
-Jamie
Wow, I made this and I am so disappointed! What a waste of expensive ingredients…
This looks delicious. My inner grammarian is going a little nuts , though. Simplistic means to reduce to a false simplicity by ignoring complicating factors. I think you just mean that his restaurant and the recipe are simple.
Love the idea of this dish, but not a huge fan of goat cheese. Could you think of any other cheese that would work? Thank you!
Hi-
I think you could play around with substituting in cream cheese; however, I have not attempted this swap so I can’t comment on the actual result. Have a great day.
-Jamie
I don’t understand the bad reviews here. I made this last night and thought it was delicious! Based on the reviews I use a good goat cheese – Laura Chenel and used 1/2 & 1/2 and cream. I added a good amount of ground pepper as well and don’t skimp on the rosemary either – you need it all. We had it along side french green beans with sliced almonds and a squeeze of lemon and it was perfect. Thank you!!
Lauren-
I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe – it’s actually one of our faves – sometimes, we even add bacon! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving for feedback! Have a great day.
-Jamie
I mentioned this in an article I wrote about comfort foods. Feel free to check it out!
http://netflixandnutella.com/2013/01/25/comfort-foods-mac-cheese/
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