Mac 'n' Cheese
Short pasta in a mustardy cheddar and parmesan sauce, baked under crisp, buttery baguette crumbs.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
From BBC Good Food, by Jennifer Joyce
Ingredients
- 50 g baguette, cut into small chunks
- 2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp, melted
- 350 g spiral or other short pasta
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 500 ml whole milk
- 250 g vegetarian mature cheddar, grated
- 50 g parmesan, or a vegetarian alternative, grated
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Spread the baguette chunks over a baking sheet, drizzle with the melted butter and season. Bake for 6 minutes, until crisp, then set aside.
- Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet says, then drain.
- Meanwhile, melt the 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute more.
- Gradually whisk in the milk until the sauce is smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking all the time, until thickened. Take it off the heat and stir in the cheddar and half the parmesan.
- Stir the pasta and some seasoning into the sauce, then tip it into a large ovenproof dish, or four individual dishes.
- Scatter over the bread and the rest of the parmesan, then bake for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden.
Notes
- Freeze it before baking. Defrost thoroughly before cooking.