Ingredients:

  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 8 oz shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • 4 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
  • 4 oz Neufchâtel cheese, softened
  • 1.5 cups reserved starchy pasta water
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Boil the rigatoni in heavily salted water. Cook until 'firm-to-the-tooth,' roughly 1-2 minutes less than the package directions suggest.
  2. Reserve 1.5 cups of the cloudy pasta water before draining the pasta. Do not rinse the pasta to ensure the surface starch remains.
  3. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, whisk the milk and softened Neufchâtel cheese together until smooth and no lumps remain.
  4. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water along with the minced garlic, onion powder, and smoked paprika until the aromatics are fragrant.
  5. Fold in the cooked rigatoni and the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Stir continuously until the cheese is emulsified into a velvety sauce that clings to the pasta ridges.