a healthier alternative to mac & cheese using ricotta and rosemary-salt

Guys. We can all agree that Macaroni and Cheese is a pretty big weakness, right? But if you're like me, you're all paranoid about the horrible ingredients in Kraft's orange-powder, and opt for the "healthy" alternatives like Annie's white cheddar shells. Indulging in nutrition-less powdered "cheese" in a box has been an occasional treat that I've indulged in many a' time last year. But now that Jamie's gluten free, I've been reminded how silly it is to fill my body with useless food. Enter "Mac & Cheese with Ricotta and Rosemary-Salt." Sounds way healthier already, right? I mean, obviously the pasta is still lacking, but I've switched to buying the Bionaturae organic noodles since they're only for me now, and only when Jamie's not looking. ;) They taste so much better, and while they're still not really a necessary component of my daily diet, sometimes I crave white flour, and that's that.

So here's the recipe, which was created out of desperation for wanting mac & cheese. I'm sure there are other recipes out there similar to it, 'cause it's really very simple.

1. boil some noodles and while they're cooking saute a small onion and a few cloves of garlic in butter, chopped
2. the vegetables should not be cooked until caramelized (the slight crunch of the onions was delicious)
3. when the noodles are done, drain and place back in the pot
4. put the burner on very low, and stir in a few heaping spoonfuls of whole milk ricotta cheese
5. turn off the heat
6. drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil
7. crush some dried rosemary and sea salt with a mortar and pestle until it's powdered, add as much as you want
8. add a tiny bit of black pepper
9. grate some parmesan cheese on top if you want

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