Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese
Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese (4-6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 head of garlic
- Olive oil, for roasting
- 12 oz dried elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 Tbs butter
- 3 Tbs flour
- 3 ½ cups of milk
- 8 oz white cheddar
- 4 oz garlic herb cream cheese*, softened
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400F. Remove excess paper skin from garlic head and chop off the tip so the garlic cloves are exposed. Place garlic on a square of foil and brush entire head with olive oil. Loosely wrap up the foil in a pouch and roast garlic for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool before handling. Once cool, squeeze out cloves into a small bowl and smash with a fork to make a paste. Set aside.
Decrease oven temperature to 350F. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain in pot and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour and roasted garlic paste. Cook over medium hear until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat and whisk in cheddar and cream cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the sauce to the pot of drained noodles and stir thoroughly to coat. The mixture will be VERY runny. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese browned and bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
*For the garlic herb cream cheese, mix together 4 oz of onion and chive cream cheese, 2 Tbs of herbs (I used more chives) and 2 cloves of garlic.
