Macaroni Cheese
Macaroni cheese has to be one of those ‘go to recipes’ suitable for a weekend supper, pleasing all the family. I also highly recommend this recipe if you have been unwell and wish to ‘build & comfort’ your appetite.
Traditionally always made with elbow macaroni pasta but will also work using penne pasta or other shapes. Use the milk quantity as a guideline and add more milk should the cheese sauce mixture be too thick for your liking.
I always make this dish several hours in advance, allow to cool and when cool cover and keep refrigerated until I wish to bake. It is also perfectly acceptable to add additional chopped vegetables or meats to the mix if you wish to break from tradition but I myself love my macaroni cheese to be just that, elbow macaroni pasta in a very cheesy sauce.
Ingredients
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30g butter
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1 small onion- finely chopped
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2 tbsp plain flour
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1 tsp dry mustard powder
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Seasonings- black pepper and sea salt
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500mls milk
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200g tasty cheddar cheese- grated
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150g macaroni elbows- cooked
Instructions
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01 Cook the macaroni elbows in a large saucepan with plenty of hot water until soft. Drain and reserve.
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Make cheese sauce:
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02 Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add flour and cook until frothy (see photo 2).
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03 Add mustard. Now add the milk and bring to the boil stirring all the time until the sauce nice and thick and well cooked. Remove from the heat. Add half the cheese. Stir well.
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04 Finally add the cooked macaroni and check the seasoning.
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05 Pour the mixture into a well buttered oven proof dish and generously cover the top with grated cheese.
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Bake:
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06 Place in a hot oven and bake until heated through, the cheese melted and golden brown.
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07 Serve hot with mixed green salad.
Notes
If you like a dense macaroni cheese then follow this recipe exactly but if you are like me and prefer my macaroni to sit in a 'sloppy' sauce, then be generous with the milk in the cheese sauce. Once you combine the macaroni and sauce together during cooking it will thicken up. I also love to be generous with the cheese topping. Finally if you wish to adapt the recipe with the addition of a bacon, other smoked meat or vegetable such as sweetcorn please go ahead.
