This Cilantro, Lime & Wine Pesto Mac n Cheese has beautiful sophisticated flavor combinations, while also being a down-right comfort food!
Have you ever felt like there was something you found out about where you felt you had uncovered a major secret? Well, that happened for me not only by discovering this unique flavor combination, but also by discovering the region where the wine I used in this dish came from.
This past Fall, my husband and I took a trip to Portland (we seriously fell in love with the area) and based on a recommendation decided to take a day trip to Willamette Valley and check out some Oregon vineyards. We drove along the highway, exited, and all of a sudden, it was like we were in a whole different world. Rolling hills as far as the eye could see with vineyards tucked and hidden into the gorgeous landscape.
To be honest, I didn’t even know that Oregon had such an amazing wine country before I was standing, jaw to the floor, looking around. I may have looked like a super tourist, but I didn’t care because it was just SO PRETTY! I highly suggest taking a trip to Oregon Wine Country, if even just to look at the beautiful landscape.
One of the Vineyards we stopped at was called Trisaetum (pronounced ‘tris-say-tum’ after the founders’ two children, Tristen and Tatum) where we tasted their Pinot Noirs and Rieslings. A few fun things about this Vineyard that made me fall in love with it:
- their wines are absolutely delicious
- the tasting room has a beautiful art gallery that one can roam around in while sampling
- the terrace where one can sit out on has a beautiful view (one can even touch the grapes -don’t know if that’s allowed lol)
- we were told that they had tasting glasses that fit AN ENTIRE bottle of wine (sign me up lol) and
- their wines were actually affordable and could be shipped (which we did and it was such a treat to get the 2 bottles of Rieslings upon returning home).
Fast forward to this week, I was enjoying a lovely glass of Trisaetum 2012 Ribbon Ridge Estate Riesling and was about to make dinner when I thought that a dash of wine would really compliment the flavors of the cilantro lime pesto, and so, this amazingness of cilantro, lime, and wine pesto mac n cheese was born! The cheesy noodles burst with fresh flavor from the pesto! Soooo yummy!
Don’t have any Riesling on hand? No problem, feel free to substitute with any white wine!
Ok, one last picture, I just can’t resist, you know I have a serious love for Mac N Cheese (I even participated in a Mac n Cheese Mania event with my Blue Cheese Bechamel Mac n Cheese!)
Cilantro, Lime & Wine Pesto Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
For the Pesto
For the Pasta
Instructions
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I love anything that contains wine! I also love the addition of the lime and cilantro, it looks so creamy and delicious! I’ve never been to Portland, but I hear its beautiful and that vineyard looks like lots of fun 🙂
Thank you for the super sweet comment 🙂 Portland is definitely beautiful, if given the chance to go again, I’d jump up and down and say YES haha! The Mac n cheese…you hit the nail on the head, it was so creamy and delicious while having all the nice hints of cilantro, lime and wine!
Hi Sweetphi, we love Portland, all the funky little restaurants and amazing farmers markets, they are everywhere. This dish looks and sounds amazing, and the wine you picked to accompany it is perfect.
Thanks Cheri-glad to hear I’m not the only one obsessed with Portland! And the wine did go really well 🙂
I love the cilantro / lime combo and I bet the white wine is a great touch! This mac and cheese sounds soooo good! I need to stop reading blogs before dinner! haha
I’ve always wanted to go to Portland – now you have me wanting to go even more!
Haha, I do the EXACT same thing Ashley, then I want something totally different lol! Portland is a totally amazing foodie town with SO many fun things to do (let me know if you ever plan on going, I have tons of suggestions!)
I love mac and cheese in all its forms, so this is just delicious to me!
Awe, thanks for your comment! It truly was delicious 🙂
I absolutely love Portland, and but am sad to have never made it to Oregon wine country. I love the way you turned your travel memories into a delicious dinner!
Thanks for your sweet comment Erin! If you ever get back to Portland, I’d highly suggest a little day trip to the wine country, it’s a little funny, you’ll be driving and exit the highway and see the regular stripmalls and gas stations, and then BOOM, it all falls away and you’re in the middle of wine country!