Silky smooth mozzarella macaroni and cheese topped with a delicious caprese topping and a balsamic vinegar reduction.
Ingredients
1poundmacaroni pasta
1poundGalbani® Mozzarella Fresca™ cheese, diced and divided
½cupchopped basil
6Roma tomatoes, roasted and chopped
¼cupunsalted butter
¼cupall-purpose flour
2cupswarm milk
Salt and pepper
Balsamic Reduction:
½cupbalsamic vinegar
¼cupsugar
Instructions
For the tomatoes, cut tomatoes in half and lay them out on a baking sheet cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Bake the tomatoes at 300 degrees for roughly 2½ hours until they are slightly dried but still have some moisture in them.
For the caprese topping, dice roasted tomatoes and toss with chopped basil and about a cup of chopped fresh mozzarella. Drizzle the topping with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Set aside until needed.
For the balsamic reduction, add vinegar and sugar to a small pot over medium heat and cook until it simmers and starts to reduce and get thick. This will take 7-8 minutes most likely. Stir regularly to keep it from burning. Remove from heat once it starts to thicken and let cool.
Cook macaroni according to package. Try not to overcook the macaroni or your mac and cheese will be soggy.
For the cheese sauce, add butter and flour to a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat for a few minutes until butter melts and tan paste forms (a roux). Slowly start to whisk in warm milk.
Whisk in milk in batches so the sauce stays thick. Once all the milk is whisked in, let the sauce thicken for a minute or two over heat. Then add the rest of the cubed mozzarella (minus what you put in the topping). Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Drain pasta and toss with cheese sauce.
Serve mac and cheese while it’s creamy topped with caprese topping and drizzled balsamic reduction.