Black garlic is such a fun ingredient. It has all the classic garlic flavor in a more mellow, caramelized package. When Murray’s sent me a sample of their black garlic Gouda, my mind was already churning with ways to use it, and this black garlic Gouda mac and cheese was the obvious winner.
Flavored cheeses
Flavored cheeses get a bad rap. They’re often seen as lower quality, but that’s not really fair. The American Cheese Society’s competition has a dedicated flavored cheese category, and entries are expected to enhance the original cheese without erasing its essence. That makes them perfect for cooking, since the added flavors build on the dish instead of competing with it.
What is Black Garlic
Black garlic is whole garlic aged for weeks at low heat and high humidity. The slow process turns the cloves dark, soft, and sticky, with a savory, subtly sweet flavor often compared to balsamic and molasses. Where raw garlic is sharp and pungent, black garlic is rounded and rich.
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Gouda
Gouda is a mac and cheese favorite because it packs a ton of flavor into a cheese that melts beautifully. Younger Gouda is creamy and mild, while longer-aged Gouda gets sharper, nuttier, and more caramelly. Murray’s uses a younger Gouda that incorporates easily into the sauce while showcasing the flavor of the black garlic.
Want to check it out? Grab your own black garlic gouda here: https://murrays-cheese.pxf.io/jR0qWb (affiliate link)
Pasta
Realistically, you can use any pasta your heart desires for mac and cheese. I certainly don’t make the rules here. But I stick to a formula that keeps the dish comforting and easy to eat. Long pasta is cumbersome and more annoying than it’s worth, while tiny pasta gets lost in the sauce and loses its bite.
I like the middle ground: medium-sized shapes that are neither too long nor too short. In today’s recipe, I used fusilli corti bucati from Trader Joe’s. These medium, curly tubes trap sauce in every twist and hollow, and they’re still easy to scoop up with a fork.
Parmesan
When I build a mac and cheese, I aim for balance. Some cheeses hit at the start of the bite. I call those opener flavors. Others take a moment to unfold. Those are closers. Parmesan is the perfect closer: salty, nutty, and savory, but it takes a few seconds to really show up. That pairs well with black garlic, whose sweetness lingers, so the bite keeps evolving from first forkful to last swallow.
Cream cheese
Cream cheese is a mac and cheese ingredient that works in a really interesting way. It doesn’t impart a lot of flavor, but it adds richness to your dish. When considering the flavor profile of the black garlic, I wanted to help cut the sharpness and cream cheese is the perfect addition.
You can see more of my cream cheese experimentation here: https://www.macandcheeseclub.com/2022/05/09/an-experiment-in-mac-and-cheese-texture/
Toppings
There’s never enough garlic, so I topped mine with crispy garlic from Trader Joe’s. It’s sold as a salad topping, but it adds a great crunch and a toasty, savory garlic hit. Next time I’d love to try a drizzle of hot sauce on top to cut through the richness.
Add a fork
This black garlic mac and cheese recipe is rich, creamy, and deeply savory, with the sweet, mellow depth of black garlic in every bite. The Gouda melts into a silky sauce, the Parmesan and cream cheese round it out, and the crispy garlic on top adds a crunch. It’s comfort food that’s fancy enough to serve to anyone you want to impress, and it comes out to about $3 per serving.
Recipe
Black Garlic Gouda Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz black garlic gouda
- 2 oz Parmesan
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 16 oz pasta fusilli corti bucati or other medium sized
- crispy garlic to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Allow cheese to come to room temperature and grate fresh.
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions in well-salted water. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the Sauce
- Preheat your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds – just enough to take the chill out of it. It should be warm, but not hot.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and let it heat until it becomes foamy.
- Mix in flour and cook this mixture for a minute while stirring constantly.
- Slowly add warmed milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Whisk it continually until combined
- Once all of the milk is added, cook for a few minutes while whisking this mixture. Do not let it boil.
- You will feel the sauce start to thicken. It’s ready for cheese when you rub a small amount between your fingers and it feels silky.
- Remove from heat and stir in your cheese until it’s melted and mixed into the sauce.
- Once the cheese is incorporated, use a cooked noodle to taste your sauce. If it doesn’t taste cheesy enough try adding a little more salt to bring out the flavor.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle crispy garlic across the top and serve!
