Roasted Tomato Mac & Cheese
Cheesy, comforting mac and cheese with roasted tomatoes, bacon and fresh herbs. Serves 2 as a main dish or 3-4 as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- olive oil
- fine sea salt
- pepper
- 6 ounces (170g) cellentani, cavatappi pasta or large elbow macaroni (about 2 1/4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (237ml) whole milk, room temperature
- ¾ cup (177ml) heavy cream, room temperature
- 4 ounces (113g) shredded cheddar cheese, divided (about 1 cup, packed)
- 4 ounces (113g) shredded Gruyére cheese, divided (about 1 cup packed)
- 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley, divided
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet. Gently toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast until the tomatoes are blistered, about 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your tomatoes.
- Turn the oven down to 350ºF (180ºC). Cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions.
- Set aside 1/4 cup (28g) of each of the cheeses for the top. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and heavy cream together.
- In a 2-quart oven safe pot,* melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and cream. Heat until thickened, whisking out any lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.)
- Remove from heat. Gradually stir in 3/4 cup (85g) each cheddar and Gruyere cheeses. Taste the sauce and season with more salt or pepper if necessary.
- Fold in the cooked pasta, roasted tomatoes, bacon, 1 teaspoon of parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons of chives. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake in top third of the oven, just until cheese is melted, about 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and chives.
Notes
If you watched the video on Instagram or TikTok, you may have noticed I  baked my mac & cheese in a heart-shaped Dutch oven. To find a similar pink heart  Dutch oven, click here. To find a  blue heart Dutch oven , click here,