Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese

It's no secret that I love macaroni and cheese. As SP once said, how can you go wrong with pasta and cheese. This recipe for Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese is originally from Annie's blog, but I didn't know about it until I saw it on Cassie's meal plan one week. I was anxious to hear what she thought of it and when it came back with rave reviews I added it to my menu.


I didn't have penne so I subbed shells, which worked well. A word of warning - this is one rich mac and cheese. I had to sub in some American cheese because I didn't have a full 8-ounces of cheddar. I don't know if that made a difference but I was glad I had some simple steamed broccoli to cut the richness.


It was still a delicious dinner that even Baby Girl, who is quite the mac and cheese lover, enjoyed. I love that she eats things like roasted garlic. It makes me proud.

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese
Cassie Craves

1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb penne rigate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 container (usually 5 to 6 ounces) Boursin (garlic and herb spreadable cheese)
Salt and pepper

To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove most of the outer paper skins from the head of garlic, leaving it intact. Slice off the top portion of the head so that all of the cloves are exposed at the top, but the head is still intact. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the head of garlic on a piece of foil and loosely fold the foil up around the head of garlic to create a foil packet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the cloves are easily squeezed from the skins. Squeeze all of the garlic out of the skins and smash with a fork to make a paste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain in a colander. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and the roasted garlic paste and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce comes to a low boil and thickens noticeably. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar and Boursin. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted.

Add cheese sauce to reserved pasta and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.