Baked with juicy bursting cherry tomatoes and swirled with fresh basil pesto, this bursting tomato macaroni and cheese is exploding with fresh flavors and impossible to only have one bowl of!
Sorry in advance if you prefer your mac ‘n’ cheese game simple and classic. Cause that’s definitely not what we’re about today…
I’m talking juicy bursting tomatoes, swirls of homemade basil pesto, crispy breadcrumbs, and so.much.cheese.
Fancified macaroni and cheese is literally always a good idea, end of story.
It’s kind of like the light, summer version of mac ‘n’ cheese and let me tell you, it is a GOOD one to have in your summer recipes arsenal!
As a bonafide mac ‘n’ cheese fangirl, I 100% approve this message. I would eat this mac ‘n’ cheese literally every day if given the chance.
This Bursting Tomato Macaroni and Cheese features…
- Sweet bursting cherry tomatoes baked in olive oil and fresh garlic
- A creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese base with two kinds of cheeses
- A buttery, crispy breadcrumb topping
- Herby homemade basil pesto for drizzling on top
Making the Bursting Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Basil
- Pine Nuts (walnuts also work!)
- Cheeses (Parmesan for the pesto and Gruyere + cheddar for the cheese sauce)
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Whipping Cream
- Pasta (we recommend a shorter pasta for this mac ‘n cheese – any shape will work!)
- Breadcrumbs (optional, but it adds a lovely crunchy topping)
How to Make Bursting Tomatoes
Bursting tomatoes are so easy to make and add so much flavor to any dish! You will need fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, and salt + pepper to taste.
Combine everything in a 9×13 baking dish and roast the tomatoes at 400F 20-25 minutes until they’re softened and bursting. Finely mince the garlic and toss it back into the tomatoes.
How to Make Pesto
Homemade pesto is very easy to make and blows any premade jarred pesto away! You will need fresh basil, pine nuts, fresh garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and salt + pepper to taste.
Pulse pesto ingredients in a food processor while drizzling olive oil through top. You may need to scrape down the sides a bit to ensure the pesto is smooth.
Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste and store in the fridge up to 6 days.
What Kind of Cheese Can I Use?
We like to keep the cheese flavors mild in this macaroni and cheese in particular, since we’ve got so many other bold flavors. Freshly shredded Gruyere cheese and mild cheddar are what we recommend.
A few other cheese combos you can use…
- Gouda + cheddar
- Asiago + gruyere
- Low-moisture mozzarella + cheddar
Tips for Perfect Macaroni and Cheese
- Melt butter + flour into a roux – this is the base to your sauce. Cook the butter + flour together, whisking constantly until it’s a light brown.
- Slowly drizzle in milk + cream – use a whisk for this part and whisk sauce vigorously to incorporate the liquid into the roux and avoid lumps.
- Cook sauce over medium heat – once all the liquids have been added to the sauce, cook the sauce over medium heat and stir often to avoid burning. The sauce is done when it’s bubbly and can coat the back of a spoon.
- Fold cheeses in offheat – this will help prevent the cheese from burning. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and whisk in cheeses until melted.
- Bake mac ‘n’ cheese – an extra step but so worth it! This is how you get those lovely crispy, browned edges and you get to have a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Y’all, it’s so incredibly cheesy, bursting with herby punches of flavorful pesto, little bits of sweet cherry tomatoes in every bite…it’s just the dream mac ‘n’ cheese.
Sometimes you just need some comfort food even when the weather’s warmer out and this mac will definitely fill that craving!
We’re obsessed and you bet we plan on making MULTIPLE batches all summer long!
More pasta dinners I know you’ll love!
Watch this macaroni and cheese made step-by-step on Google web stories!
Bursting Tomato Macaroni and Cheese with Basil Pesto
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Ingredients
Bursting Tomatoes
- 1 pt cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Basil Pesto
- 1 cup firmly-packed basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Macaroni and Cheese
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-3/4 cups 2% or skim milk
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 lb campanelle pasta (or your choice of shape) cooked according to package instructions until al dente.
- 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, optional
Instructions
Bursting Tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a 9×13 baking dish, toss tomatoes and garlic with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Roast tomatoes at 400F 20-25 minutes until tomatoes are softened and bursting. Finely chop roasted garlic and toss with tomatoes. Set aside.
Basil Pesto
- In a blender or food processor, combine basil, nuts, garlic, and Parmesan. With machine running, drizzle olive oil through top, pulsing several times until pesto is smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Season pesto with salt and pepper to taste and store in fridge until ready to use.
Macaroni and Cheese
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth and let cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Slowly drizzle in milk and cream, whisking constantly until smooth and incorporated.
- Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sauce is bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat and add cheeses, whisking until melted. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and add cayenne if using.
- Add cooked pasta and sauce to cherry tomatoes in baking pan. Stir until evenly coated. Top with breadcrumbs if using.
- Bake macaroni and cheese at 400F 15-20 minutes until bubbly and top is browned. Drizzle pesto sauce over top. Serve macaroni hot and enjoy!
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