Brown Butter Baked Mac & Cheese with Roasted Garlic

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 430kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Baked macaroni & cheese with deep, rich flavor notes from roasted garlic and nutty browned butter

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 saucepan
1 kitchen spoon
1 Food Processor
1 baking dish oblong (13x9) or square (9x9)
1 mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
2 tablespoons flour
2.5 cups milk
sea salt to taste
white pepper to taste
3.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta boiled in salted water and drained
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley

Instructions

For the Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the top ¼ of the head of garlic and discard. Place garlic, cut side up, onto a piece of foil then drizzle olive oil over top and wrap garlic in foil. Place in oven to roast for about 40 minutes. Remove garlic from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a bowl (should flow out easily). Mash garlic with a fork to form a paste. Set aside.
1 head garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Browned Butter

In a large saucepan, melt three tablespoons of the butter over medium heat, stirring every 30 seconds or so. The butter should bubble (but not pop) and white solids will form in the pan. Continue stirring until butter darkens to a golden color and emits a nutty aroma (total process is about 5 minutes).
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Macaroni and Cheese

Add flour to browned butter and stir to form a roux. Cook for about two minutes.
2 tablespoons flour
Slowly whisk in milk to ensure mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Bring mixture to a light boil then stir in sea salt, white pepper, and roasted garlic paste.
2.5 cups milk, sea salt, white pepper
Add 2 ½ cups cheese to the pan, about ½ cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir until all cheese is melted and sauce is uniform in texture and color.
3.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese
Add in cooked pasta and mix until it is evenly coated with sauce. Transfer into a 9 by 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over top.
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
In a small bowl, melt remaining 3 tablespoon butter (I just pop in the microwave), bread crumbs, and parsley to form a crumb mixture. Sprinkle this mixture over top of mac and cheese in baking dish.
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs, 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley
Place dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is lightly browned and mac & cheese is bubbly.

Video

Notes

Substitutions

You can use non-dairy milk to make mac & cheese. I have had success with almond, walnut, oat, and dairy milk.

Shredded cheese from the dairy section of your local grocery store has been coated with an anti-caking agent that keeps the shreds from sticking to each other and the bag. This coating makes the cheese melt in a weird way and it won't coat your macaroni noodles well either. I know it can be tempting to use pre-shredded cheese when making mac & cheese but I promise it doesn't take long to shred your own, especially if you run it through a food processor.

Browning Butter

Cut your butter into small pieces so that they melt evenly and don't use frozen butter because it will pop. Room temperature butter is great for this.

Use a light-colored skillet, if you have one, so that you can easily see when the butter darkens.

Look for milk solids that will form in the butter. They look like small white bits and should turn light brown as the butter continues to caramelize.

Continue stirring every 30 seconds or so until butter is light brown in color and emits a rich, nutty aroma. Remove from heat so as not to burn the butter!

Nutrition