Cheesy Wagon Wheels

This is a family pleaser if the adults are up for eating pasta shaped like wagon wheels! Otherwise, it can be halved, or cut the finished dish into two dishes and freeze one half for the kids for later. My 9-month-old and 6-year-old enjoy this equally.

Cheesy Wagon Wheels

8 oz. (half a box) Barilla Piccolini (Mini Wheel-Shaped Pasta)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (skim, 1%, 2% all work well, the more fat in the milk, the thicker the sauce gets)
2 cups shredded, soft, mild cheeses (I use what I have - last time I made this I used 1 cup medium cheddar, 3/4 cup Colby Jack and 1/4 cup Parmesan - Gruyere works well, too, so does mozzarella, but it gets realllllly stringy!)

In a large pot, bring water for the pasta to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir to combine, then stir for another minute to simmer and cook flour. The flour and butter will bubble ever so slightly.

Turn off the heat and, using a whisk, very gradually, add milk, whisking constantly to combine. Continue whisking and adding milk in 1/3-cup doses, whisking after each addition until milk is incorporated. Return pot to heat and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer - this should take around 5-7 minutes. Once milk simmers, the sauce should thicken. Remove the sauce from heat and add cheeses. Stir to combine. The cheeses will help thicken the sauce. Cover sauce with a lid and set aside until the pasta is done.

Back to the big pot of water - add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer pasta to a casserole dish or serving bowl. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir to combine. This is ready to serve, but will thicken even further upon sitting for a minute.

I add a bit more salt, some pepper and Tabasco to mine at the table.

To make a complete meal for baby, add pureed carrots, pureed broccoli, or a fruit dish, such as apple sauce, on the side or combined. Hungry Baby loves this pasta with pureed carrots mixed into the pasta and cheese - proof that baby taste buds are different than ours!

Because this takes 5-7 minutes of whisking to bring the milk to a simmer, I make the sauce while baby is napping. The sauce can be gently reheated on a low heat. If the heat is too high on reheating, the cheese will separate - not a pretty sight. Alternatively, the entire dish can be made ahead of time, combining the pasta and cheese sauce, and gently reheated in the oven, covered at 350 degrees until hot.