My Favourite Macaroni Cheese

Name: My Favourite Macaroni Cheese
Total time: 3000 s
Yield: Serves 4 people
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250 g macaroni or pasta of choice (I love Rigatoni); 50 g baguette, cut into small chunks; 1 tbsp butter, melted; 60 g butter; 60 g plain flour; 600 ml whole milk; 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg; 180 g strong cheddar cheese, grated; 90 g Gruyere cheese, grated; 50 g Parmesan, finely grated; 150 g streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into strips/cubes; 2-3 TBSP Nduja; Roasted cauliflower & cherry tomatoes

Jodie Mann @MannBakes

Scotland

The ultimate comfort food. I've made this so many times that I really feel I've got this nailed. This can be frozen before baking – defrost thoroughly before cooking.
For a posh alternative, try crumbling 50g Stilton, Dolcelatte or Roquefort into the sauce, instead of the Parmesan. Pour the pasta into the dish, then top with 4 trimmed field mushrooms, gills facing upwards, instead of the crumbs. Drizzle with a little oil, season, then top with a little more blue cheese. Bake as stated below.

Jodie Mann @MannBakes

Saved

Ingredients

Ready in around 50 minutes

Serves 4 people

250 gmacaroni or pasta of choice (I love Rigatoni)
50 gbaguette, cut into small chunks
1 tbspbutter, melted
60 gbutter
60 gplain flour
600 mlwhole milk
1 tspfreshly ground nutmeg
180 gstrong cheddar cheese, grated
90 gGruyere cheese, grated
50 gParmesan, finely grated
150 gstreaky bacon or pancetta, cut into strips/cubes
Optional fun extras
2-3 TBSPNduja
Roasted cauliflower & cherry tomatoes

Saved

Steps

Ready in around 50 minutes

1

Heat oven to fan 180C.
Spread 50g baguette chunks over a baking sheet, drizzle with 1tbsp melted butter and season.
2

Bake for 6 minutes or until crisp, then set aside.
3

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 or 2 minutes under the recommended package cooking time (around 8-9 minutes). Drain well and set aside.
4

Fry the streaky bacon/pancetta in a non-stick frying pan until just about crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside while you make the sauce.
5

For the cheese sauce: heat the butter in a medium saucepan on a low heat until melted. Stir in the flour using a hand whisk and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring continuously until the flour is ‘cooked out’. The consistency will change to a thinner ‘sauce’ and the colour may go slightly caramel. This is when you know it is ready to add the milk.
6

Gradually whisky in the milk, splash at a time until all the milk has been mixed in and the sauce is thickened. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot
7

Turn the heat down to low on the sauce, and add 45g of the gruyere and 130g of the cheddar, a tsp of nutmeg nutmeg and stir until it is well combined and melted.
8

Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep, suitably-sized ovenproof dish.
9

Scatter over the bread and the remaining cheese and the parmesan and place the dish under the hot grill. Cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Serve straight away.