Pasta with Roasted Garlic, White Cheddar & Wine Sauce

To me this recipe shouted grown-up mac and cheese....roasted garlic, cheddar, and wine sauce.....yum!  The original recipe called for broccoli and chicken.  I adapted the recipe to make it vegetarian and use some different veggies.  As much as I love roasted garlic I'm not sure that I ever did it myself before this recipe.  Instead of turning on the oven in the summer heat to roast two heads of garlic I ended up using my toaster oven.  It took a little longer but it got the job done and didn't make my kitchen a steam box!  The kids enjoyed this and ate everything including the one bite of mushroom that  I made them eat.  Overall, I thought it was just okay.  You definitely tasted the garlic paste, which I think overpowered some of the other flavors. 

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, White Cheddar & Wine Sauce
recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
8 oz. tube shaped pasta
1½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste*
1½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
2 ears of fresh corn, cooked and cut off cob
1 8 oz. pkg. sliced, fresh, mushrooms
Salt and pepper, to taste

*To make roasted garlic paste, peel the outer papery skins off two heads of garlic, leaving the heads still intact. Slice about a quarter off the top of each head so that all of the cloves are partly exposed. Wrap the heads in foil and bake at 350˚ F for one hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels and smash with a fork to make roasted garlic paste.

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the roasted garlic paste and cook just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Whisk the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Stir the white wine and broth into the pan. Add mushrooms to sauce.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and stir until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the corn and cook just until heated through. Mix in the cooked pasta until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve warm.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.