A creamy, warming bowl of macaroni cheese has to be the ultimate in delicious comfort food, and this wild garlic mac and cheese gives the much-loved classic a seasonal spring twist. Add a crispy garlicky pangrattato topping for a very special (and easy) meal.
Is anything more comforting than a bowl of creamy, gooey mac and cheese? For me, it’s the ultimate in warming, comforting food and this spring version, packed with seasonal wild garlic (or ramps) is pretty special.
Wild garlic only appears for a few months every year, so whenever I can get my hands on it I try to use it as much as possible. Making wild garlic butter, wild garlic pesto, wild garlic risotto and even cheesy wild garlic pull-apart hot cross buns are some of my other favourite ways to use it.
This recipe is a classic baked mac and cheese, where we make a cheesy bechamel (this one is loaded with a very fresh and garlicky wild garlic puree!), then add cooked pasta and pop it into the oven to get all gooey and gorgeous. A crispy breadcrumb topping (pangrattato) is highly recommended to add a lovely crunchy element, and the one here is loaded with garlic and anchovies to make a seriously savoury topping that takes the mac and cheese to another level.
Ingredients
Aside from the wild garlic, you don’t need any special ingredients for this mac and cheese.
- Wild garlic. This gorgeous seasonal ingredient sings of bright, spring flavours. It has a softer, subtle garlic flavour than regular cloves, and is one of my favourite things to use. If you’re lucky, you can find it in parks or woodland areas (just make sure you know it’s wild garlic as lily of the valley looks very similar and that’s super poisonous). You can also find it at farmers’ markets, or some online retailers stock it. In the UK, you can pick some up from Able & Cole, Riverford or Ocado. You could also use baby spinach leaves and add 2 more garlic cloves if you can’t find wild garlic.
- Cheese. We’re using a mix of cheddar and parmesan (for flavour) and mozzarella (for maximum stretchiness). You can play around with this based on what you like and what you have to hand – Havarti, gruyere, gouda or blue cheese would also work well.
- Crispy pangrattato. Scattering crispy breadcrumbs on top of mac and cheese is classic for a reason – it provides a wonderful crunchy element that contrasts so beautifully with the smooth, creamy sauce. I like using panko breadcrumbs because they’re chunkier and become super crispy, but you can use regular breadcrumbs, or even make your own by blitzing up any stale bread.
OPTIONAL: I ADORE the salty, umami flavour of anchovies in this recipe – it doesn’t taste fishy at all, but just brings a lovely deep, savouriness to the pasta and the pangrattato. If you don’t have any or if you’re wary of using them, you can skip them (though I do highly recommend including them!)
How to make it
Blanch the wild garlic leaves in boiling water, then plunge them into ice water to preserve that lovely vibrant colour. Blitz into a puree with garlic, anchovies (if you’re using them) and a little of the blanching water. Get your pasta cooking in that same blanching water (all about saving washing up when possible!) You want to cook the pasta for 2 minutes LESS than what it says on your package because it will absorb some of the liquid in the sauce. If you cook it too much initially, it can get a little mushy by the time the mac and cheese is done.
Make your cheesy bechamel sauce while the pasta cooks.
Once your bechamel is thick and cheesy, add the pasta straight in, along with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and the wild garlic puree. Give everything a good mix, then taste and add a little more salt if needed (I actually love adding a splash of fish sauce for a deeper umami flavour). Top with more cheese and pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
This is a SAUCY mac and cheese – I love sauce and don’t enjoy a dry pasta dish, so don’t worry if you think it’s too saucy when it goes into the oven. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid and the result will be a perfectly saucy mac and cheese.
Make the crispy pangrattato topping while the mac and cheese is in the oven, then when it looks golden and melted on top and the sauce is bubbling, remove it from the oven. Scatter over the pangrattato and serve right away.
Got a question?
During spring, if you’re lucky enough, you can find it in parks or woodland areas (just make sure you know FOR SURE it’s wild garlic as lily of the valley looks very similar and that’s super poisonous). You can also find it at farmers’ markets, or some online retailers stock it. In the UK, you can pick some up from Able & Cole, Riverford or Ocado.
Yes, you can! You can assemble the mac and cheese a day in advance, then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. It will take 40 minutes to cook the fridge cold mac and cheese. Once cooked, it will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge, stored in a covered container.
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Wild Garlic Macaroni Cheese
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A creamy, warming bowl of macaroni cheese has to be the ultimate in delicious comfort food, and this wild garlic mac and cheese gives the much-loved classic a seasonal spring twist. Add a crispy garlicky pangrattato topping for a very special (and easy) meal.
Ingredients
For the mac and cheese –
- 100g (3.5oz) wild garlic leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 anchovies (optional)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 300g (10oz) dried pasta (macaroni, fusilli, penne or any other small shape)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons grated cheddar (or use gruyere, provolone, Havarti or another good melting cheese)
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon grated mozzarella
For the crispy pangrattato topping –
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 anchovy (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
Instructions
- Make the wild garlic puree. Heat your oven to 180C/360F fan. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set a large bowl of ice water on your bench (you’ll plunge the blanched leaves into this to preserve their colour). Add the wild garlic leaves and blanch for 1 minute, then transfer directly to the ice water bowl with a slotted spoon. Transfer them from the ice water to a blender, along with the 4 peeled garlic cloves, 2 anchovies (if you’re using them), and 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Blitz into a thick puree, adding a little more cooking water if your blender is having trouble.
- Cook the pasta. Bring the pot of water you blanched the wild garlic in back to a boil, then add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than indicated on your packet. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce in the oven, so we don’t want it FULLY cooked at this stage. Scoop 1 cup of pasta cooking water from the pot, then drain the pasta and toss through 1 tablespoon of butter (this will help the pasta to not absorb too much liquid from the sauce in the oven).
- Make the cheesy bechamel. If you have an ovenproof pan or skillet, use it to make the cheesy bechamel (I’m using a high-sided 28cm/11″ cast iron skillet) because then you can just add the pasta and transfer it straight into the oven. Otherwise, use a regular pot or pan and transfer the mac and cheese to an ovenproof dish to go into the oven. Melt 3.5 tablespoons of butter in your chosen pan over medium heat, then add 1/4 cup of flour. Whisk the flour and butter together for a couple of minutes, as a paste (roux) forms. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you go and it thickens up. This will only take a few minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and then 2 cups of grated cheddar, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella and fold the cheese into the sauce so it melts.
- Mix the pasta with the sauce. Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the cheesy bechamel, then add the wild garlic puree and 1/2 a cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix the pasta through the sauce, making sure it’s well-coated and covered. This is a saucy mac and cheese, and if you like it even saucier, you can add the extra 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Give it a taste and add a little more salt if needed. If you’ve made the sauce in a pan that’s not ovenproof, transfer the mac and cheese to an ovenproof dish now. If you’ve made it in an ovenproof pan, it can stay in there. Scatter over the remaining cheese, then place in the oven for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling and gooey.
- Make the crispy pangrattato topping. While the mac and cheese is in the oven, set a small pan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 anchovy (if you’re using it). Stir to combine and press the anchovy into the oil so it melts down into it. Add 1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs and toss through the oil. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are looking golden brown and smelling glorious. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the breadcrumbs to a bowl.
- Garnish and serve. Once the mac and cheese is bubbling and gorgeous, remove it from the oven and scatter the crispy pangrattato all over the top. Serve right away, while hot and gooey.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Once cooked, the mac and cheese will keep well for 5 days, stored in a covered container in the fridge. You can also assemble it a day ahead of time, and then bake it when you’re ready. It will take a little longer to cook in the oven this way – go for 40 minutes.
INGREDIENT NOTES: If you’re lucky enough to find wild garlic while foraging that’s amazing, otherwise you can find it at farmers’ markets, or some online retailers stock it. In the UK, you can find it on Able & Cole, Riverford or Ocado.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Even if you don’t have wild garlic, you can still make this. Use baby spinach leaves and add an extra 2 cloves of garlic. You can mix the cheeses up here – just go for what you have. I like a mix of something strongly flavoured (cheddar and parmesan in this case) with something that’s milder and has the stretch factor (mozzarella). Gruyere, Havarti, provolone, gouda or even blue cheese would also be great.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: pasta
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: british
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 887
- Sugar: 12.7g
- Sodium: 2812.8mg
- Fat: 43.8g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 82.3g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 41.1g
- Cholesterol: 106.2mg
Keywords: mac and cheese, green mac and cheese
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