Vibrant, yellow, elbow macaroni noodles blanketed in a luscious, creamy white sauce speckled with golden bits of sunchoke. The dish is garnished with fresh basil leaves, offering a colorful contrast. It's served in a navy blue ceramic baking dish that complements the warm colors of the pasta.

Creamy Sunchoke Mac & Cheese

Name: Creamy Sunchoke Mac & Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: small variety sunchoke, 2 cups diced; dry elbow macaroni, 2 cups; whole milk, 2 cups; all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup; unsalted butter, 1/4 cup; sharp cheddar cheese, 2 cups shredded; fresh mozzarella cheese, 1 cup shredded; garlic, 4 cloves minced; fresh basil leaves, 4-6 for garnish; salt, to taste; ground black pepper, to taste; olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Category Main Course

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 40 minutes

Style American

Technique Boiling

Diet Friendly Vegetarian

Daily Recipe: January 07, 2025

Here's to bring you warmth and satisfaction on a cold day with a unique twist on your traditional pasta dish. Our key ingredient, sunchoke, is a winter root vegetable, also known as Jerusalem artichokes. They add a gourmet touch to noodles with their subtly sweet and nutty flavor and are an excellent source of iron, potassium and thiamin.

Ingredients (for 2)

Small variety sunchoke - 2 cups - diced
Dry elbow macaroni - 2 cups
Whole milk - 2 cups
All-purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup
Sharp cheddar cheese - 2 cups - shredded
Fresh mozzarella cheese - 1 cup - shredded
Garlic - 4 cloves - minced
Fresh basil leaves - 4-6 - for garnish
Salt - to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons

Preparation

Step 1 - 🔥🌡️⏲️

Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Step 2 - 🥘💧🥔

Boil the sunchokes in a pot of water for about 10 minutes until they become tender. Drain and mash them to a chunky consistency.
Step 3 - 🍝🌊⏲️

In a separate pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni as per the package instructions. Once cooked, drain well.
Step 4 - 🍳🥛🧈

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the flour and minced garlic, let it cook for about two minutes to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk and allow the mixture to simmer until it thickens.
Step 5 - 🧀🌶️🧂

Remove saucepan from heat. Include most of the shredded cheddar and mozzarella to the sauce, stirring until it's melted and smooth. Season with salt and black pepper to your liking.
Step 6 - 🥄🥘🌰

Stir in the mashed sunchokes and drained macaroni into the sauce. Ensure that the pasta is evenly coated with sauce.
Step 7 - 🥘🧀🔥

Pour the mixture in a baking dish, top it with the remaining cheese, and place it in the preheated oven. Leave it to bake for about 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly.
Step 8 - 🌿🍽️😋

Let it cool a bit before decorating with fresh basil leaves. Serve your dish while it's still warm.

Additional

For a bit of extra crunch, you could add a breadcrumb topping before baking. If you want to make this dish gluten-free, replace regular macaroni with a gluten-free variety and use gluten-free flour for the roux. Have fun involving kids in the mashing of sunchokes or stirring the pasta into the cheesy sauce.