I know Valentine’s Day has past, but I couldn’t resist using these adorable heart ramekins I found at — you’ll never guess — Safeway! One is the perfect size for an individual serving and could even serve as a miniature cake mold. I bought four in case I host a dinner party, and they came in red and pink so I got two of each color for contrast. I just love finding little treasures like this; they make cooking for one all that much more fun.

I actually made these for From the Chef’s Kitchen, a column I write for The Erickson Tribune. This is the March recipe, so I wanted to be sure and share it with you as well. Check it out in the Tribune if you get it at home. For those of you who don’t, here is the column and a single-serving recipe, and the full recipe follows. Keep in mind that the two recipes have slightly different ingredients due to the challenges of making a single-serving dish.

From the Chef’s Kitchen
Three-cheese macaroni

March is the ultimate comfort food month. While spring is just around the corner, the weather is still cold and dreary, and the winter doldrums have overstayed their welcome. This time of year calls for a rich-tasting yet reduced-fat version of the comfort food we all know and love: macaroni and cheese.

This dish uses onions, garlic, and bay leaf to enhance the sharp and smoky flavors of manchego and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses without adding excess fat and calories.

This isn’t your ordinary mac-and-cheese; it’s a step above.

Recipe: Three cheese macaroni
Serves one

1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup skim or 1% milk
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup manchego cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Dash salt
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
1 Tbsp shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
2 Tbsp Italian-flavored bread crumbs
Paprika for sprinkling

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until tender and translucent, stirring occasionally.
Stir in flour and garlic, and cook for 1 minute while continuing to stir. Add milk and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until mixture is thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Add Manchego and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses and salt. Stir until melted. Remove the bay leaf. Keep cheese mixture warm over low heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes, omitting salt and oil or butter if called for in pasta directions.
Drain pasta, and add it to the cheese mixture, stirring until combined. Spoon mixture into an 8” by 8” glass baking dish or into five 4” ramekins coated with cooking spray.
Top evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese and then bread crumbs. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe: Three cheese macaroni
Serves five

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups skim or 1% milk
1 bay leaf
1 cup manchego cheese, grated
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
2/3 cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
Paprika for sprinkling

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until tender and translucent, stirring occasionally.
Stir in flour and garlic, and cook for 1 minute while continuing to stir. Add milk and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until mixture is thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Add Manchego and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses and salt. Stir until melted. Remove the bay leaf. Keep cheese mixture warm over low heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes, omitting salt and oil or butter if called for in pasta directions.
Drain pasta, and add it to the cheese mixture, stirring until combined. Spoon mixture into an 8” by 8” glass baking dish or into five 4” ramekins coated with cooking spray.
Top evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese and then bread crumbs. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot.