Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mac n' Cheese

Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mac n' Cheese is every bit as creamy and decadent as a good mac n' cheese should be.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword cheese, entree, Food, mac n' cheese, Macaroni and cheese, Recipe, roasted garlic, side dish, stove top mac and cheese, stove top macaroni and cheese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 20

Servings Servings

Calories 716kcal

Ingredients

Mac n' Cheese Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
1 egg beaten
3 cups medium cheddar shredded
2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Roasted Garlic Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon oil
salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the bulb of garlic to expose the cloves beneath, but do not peel the garlic, you want to roast it in the skin. Place bulb on a piece of aluminum foil, place butter on top and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bring up all sides of aluminum foil and twist together to close. Cook for 40 - 45 minutes or until garlic cloves are soft and golden in color. Allow to cool. Once cool, use a fork to remove the garlic cloves. Mash. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Allow to cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Heat to a simmer but do not boil. It will start to thicken slightly.
Slowly whisk a couple tablespoons of the heated milk mixture into the egg to temper it. Pour into the milk mixture.
Whisk in the cheese and allow to melt. Whisk in the mashed roasted garlic, fresh thyme, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir in the pasta. Mix well. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes so sauce can thicken.
Stir. Adjust seasoning if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to make things less spicy, substitute jack cheese for the pepper jack.

For even more garlic flavor, roast two whole heads of garlic.

Don't forget to temper the egg before adding it to the cheese sauce to prevent it from curdling.

Nutrition facts for estimation purposes only.

Nutrition