Cook the pasta

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the elbow pasta until just shy of al dente, then drain.

Make the garlic butter roux

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the crushed garlic and cook until fragrant.
• Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly golden.

Build the cheese sauce

• Slowly whisk in the half and half and heavy cream until smooth.
• Add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper.
• Stir in the cream cheese until melted.

Melt in the cheeses

• Lower the heat and add most of the Colby Jack, medium cheddar and mozzarella, plus all the sharp cheddar and white cheddar.
• Stir until fully melted and smooth, then taste and add salt if needed.

Combine and top

• Fold the drained pasta into the cheese sauce.
• Transfer to a baking dish and top with the remaining Colby Jack, medium cheddar and mozzarella.

Bake until bubbly

• Bake at 190 °C until the top is golden and bubbling.
• Let rest briefly before serving.