Goldbaum's Shell Pasta

So a few months ago I was sent a box full of Goldbaum products. I received all sorts of things- fusilli pasta, fettuccine noodles, chow mein noodles, ice cream cones- and a bag of shell pasta. I had been waiting to use the shell pasta when I had time to make macaroni and cheese. 

We had a dinner party the other night and I found a Chex recipe for Macaroni and Cheese bites. Even though the recipe called for elbow macaroni, I wanted to use the shells. The shells are mini macaroni after all, right? The recipe was easy to follow and worked well. Out of 48 little bites, only 7 were left over, so I think it's pretty easy to say they were a huge hit! 

I also used the shells in a regular dish that also called for chopped vegetables, cooked chicken, tomato sauce and a touch of parmesan cheese. The vegetables, chicken and sauce are all mixed together. Traditionally I'm sure the pasta should have been on the bottom, but I wanted to take a good picture so that you can see how firm and perfect this pasta cooks. You can even see the ridges in the pasta! I think the secret is how you cook Goldbaum's pasta- you boil it for only 3-5 minutes, and then remove it from the heat and let it finish cooking for 15 minutes. This prevents it from overcooking and it comes out so well. 

So far I can't find the Goldbaum's pasta in any of the stores around me, so I better start requesting it if I'm going to buy some!