Cheesy pasta has got to be my all-time favourite comfort food, but I've found a way to take it up a notch on the deliciousness scale (or, let's be honest, at least 4 more notches). Add some buttery garlic mushrooms!
This garlic mushroom mac and cheese is indescribably good. Imagine the smell in your house while garlic, onions and mushrooms sizzle in melted butter, then they're folded through a cheesy, creamy sauce - absolutely heavenly.
Garlic adds an incredible depth of flavour to anything it touches - add some earthy, sautéed mushrooms too, and you've got a bowlful of comforting, cheesy, garlicky, mushroomy goodness. Spectacular.
Plus, the mushrooms add a wonderful texture, and some additional nutrition (tons of Vitamin D!) – why not add a bit of goodness to your mac and cheese, right?
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Cheesy pasta is the best form of comfort food, but this version has a bit of extra nutrition thrown in for good measure.
- Garlic mushroom mac and cheese is a real people-pleaser - perfect to cook for friends and family.
- It's easy to make in bulk, so you can double the recipe if you need to feed a crowd.
- Or, freeze any leftovers, and have it ready to microwave when you need a quick pick-me-up after a long day.
- Did I mention it tastes bloomin' incredible?
🥗 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe. You'll also need some black pepper from your kitchen cupboard. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- pasta - macaroni is the obvious choice for mac and cheese, but any similar small pasta shape will work.
- mushrooms - I used chestnut mushrooms, but white mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, button mushrooms, etc. will all work fine. You could even use a mixture of mushroom types, for a bit of variety.
- onion
- garlic
- chives
- cheddar cheese - it's best to grate your own, rather than using pre-grated, if possible
- milk
- flour
- butter
👌 Top tip
I took the lazy route and used minced garlic from a jar, rather than mincing my own. For a recipe like this, where you want to use plenty of garlic, it's a really easy way to avoid having to stand there peeling and chopping for ten minutes!
📋 Instructions
Here's how to make this recipe - see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by gently cooking the onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter. Your house will already be smelling incredible by this point!
Step 2: Push the mushrooms to the edge of the pan, and create the white sauce in the centre. If you prefer, you might find it easier to use a separate pan (I just like to save on washing up where I can!). And if you're a white sauce novice, make sure you check out my detailed instructions about how to make a simple white sauce.
Step 3: Add some chopped chives and plenty of grated cheese, and combine to make a rich, cheesy sauce.
Step 4: Add cooked pasta.
Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a baking dish, and top with more grated cheese. Bake until crispy.
Step 6: Serve it hot with some extra veggies, if you like.
👌 Top tip
The garlic mushroom mac and cheese is super rich and creamy, so I find a nice green salad on the side works perfectly to cut through the richness.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just transfer any cooled leftovers to an airtight container, and place in the freezer. You can freeze your mushroom mac and cheese in individual portions, if you're not planning to reheat it all in one go.
It's best to reheat leftover mac and cheese thoroughly in the microwave - if it's frozen, it's best to defrost first by leaving it in the fridge overnight, or on the countertop for several hours.
Note that reheating mac and cheese can sometimes cause it to dry out and lose its creamy texture. If you prefer, you can heat your leftovers in a saucepan on the stovetop, with an extra splash of water or milk added. This method won't give the crispy topping, but it will restore the creamy texture.
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📖 Printable Recipe
Garlic Mushroom Mac and Cheese
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 300 g (~ 10 ½ oz / ~ 2 cups) uncooked macaroni
- 60 g (~ 2 oz) butter
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons pre-minced garlic)
- 250 g (~ 9 oz) mushrooms, diced
- 2 heaped Tablespoons plain flour
- 375 ml (~ 1 ½ cups) milk
- 150 g mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 ½ cups when grated)
- Small bunch fresh chives, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the macaroni in plenty of water, until it's just tender - approximately 10-12 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt half of the butter in a large frying pan, and add the diced onion. Cook over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, until the onion is slightly softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly. You don't want the pan to be too hot - a low simmer in the butter is better than a hot sizzle.
- Next, make the cheesy sauce. I like to save on washing up, so I tend to create my sauce in the same pan as the vegetables. If you're new to making white sauces, you may prefer to use a separate pan - you can also read my detailed instructions about how to make a white sauce.
- If you're using the same pan, just push the softened vegetables to the edges, leaving a space in the middle. Add the remaining butter to the centre of the pan, and allow it to melt. Add the flour, and mix it into the butter to form a paste (called a roux). It doesn't matter if a few bits of onion or mushroom get mixed in, but try to leave them around the edge of the pan if you can.
- Add a splash of milk, and mix the centre of the pan again until the milk has combined with the roux. Continue to add the milk a little at a time, stirring to create a smooth sauce each time before adding more. Gradually, as the sauce becomes thinner, the mushrooms and onion will work themselves back into the mixture.
- When you have a smooth, creamy sauce, add half of the grated cheddar and all of the chives, along with some black pepper. Mix thoroughly until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Pour the cheesy sauce over the cooked pasta, and mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish - mine measured approximately 8 x 8 inches. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top, and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, or until the mac and cheese is piping hot, and crisped up to your liking.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
vijay Kumar Amar says
Really an excellent recipe, Enjoyed
Becca Heyes says
Thanks Vijay, glad you enjoyed it :)
Annabel Smyth says
This totally works with fresh ribbon pasta as well, with the sauce just stirred through the cooked pasta - one of my favourite midweek meals. https://mrsredbootsfood.blogspot.com/2019/06/midweek-mushroom-pasta.html