Mac and cheese recipe

[AaaaaandBreathe]

Would anyone like to share their mac and cheese recipes?

I have tried different ways but it never seems to turn out very nice!

I don’t have a recipe as such, but you need a good, fairly thick cheese sauce, with plenty of mature Cheddar, salt and pepper (white pepper if you don’t want a speckled sauce) and a good dollop - say a heaped teaspoon - of English mustard to a sauce made with a pint of milk.

Where people go wrong, IMO, is being stingy with the cheese, or using mild instead of mature - preferably extra mature - or both - and it does need S,P and mustard.
I just cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, and drain it very well before mixing with the sauce.

Mine was always a bit meh so now I use the Nadiya Hussain recipe with crushed wotsits in it!

If you have wee ones I have had success with a bbc hidden veg one, which I think is much tastier. Fry finely chopped leek before starting the roux and add puréed butternut squash. The recipe has peas but they spotted them a mile off so I leave them out. Agree a very mature cheddar makes the difference. My kids ruin the fun but if not making for them I’d add a tasty topping of cheese and breadcrumbs, or crushed plain crisps or hula hoops like my mum used to!

Agree with the mature cheddar and pepper(probably more than the recipe calls for). When the sauce is on the macaroni I sprinkle with Parmesan and breadcrumbs then put under the grill until breadcrumbs have browned.

Following to find out if anyone makes macaroni like I do...

Cook pasta, grate cheese, whisk eggs. Layer pasta and cheese, pour over eggs, bake in oven. Sometimes I put breadcrumbs on top.

No white sauce? No standing and whisking? Might have to try your way

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butternut-macaroni-cheese/amp

This is my favourite!

Mine is super simple and sooooooo good!

• Bring pasta to boil (I like using fusilli)
• pour a jar of white sauce (Asda's own is good) into a pan. Add mature cheddar, Red Leicester and a bit of mozzarella.
• add a bit of black pepper and garlic powder
• stir on a low-medium heat.
• add pasta to sauce with a bit of pasta water and stir well.

If you want to kick it up a notch:

• after previous steps, pour it all into oven proof dish
• cover top with breadcrumbs and put into oven until golden brown

• I usually add some bacon lardons and serve with corn on the cob

Try a teaspoon or two of mustard — can be English or French, doesn't matter — or a little beer in the white sauce.

My biggest tip: You do not need to make a roux. Put your quantities of milk, butter and flour into the pan together. Stir whilst bringing to the boil. Then proceed as you usually would. So much easier/less involved and works every time.

Lots of cheese. Way more than you think. Preferably a mix, including parmesan or similar. If I have any blue cheese I add some of that too. A 'healthy' macaroni cheese is not worth the bother. Make it right and have it once in a great while.

Lots of seasoning. See above! White pepper, nutmeg, mustard, as you wish. Plus any optional extras such as bacon or prosciutto, jalapenos, mushrooms.

Cook your pasta a little less than all the way - I cook penne for 8 minutes instead of 11.

Keep your sauce a little thinner (but not too thin!) so that it can cook down without becoming claggy.

More cheese on top!

25 min in a very hot oven.

I make Nigella's sweet potato macaroni cheese regularly- it goes down well with both adults and fussy kids!

www.nigella.com/recipes/sweet-potato-macaroni-cheese

Cook macaroni in salted water and drain
Heat a tub of 4-cheese sauce and mix (not too much macaroni or it will be too dry)
Put in an oven-proof dish and cover with cheese (a packet of grated cheddar and mozzarella works well)
Grill on high until the cheese is bubbly and brown

I do often cook properly but for a quick supper this works well

Watching with interest. I make mine with a white sauce and I add a ton of cheese but my sauce always turns out lumpy! What am I doing wrong?

@TooMinty yes, Baked Macaroni is a thing.

Mac & cheese - agree with the addition of a good mustard and strong cheese.

Also: as other OP mentioned, don't let your pasta get mushy, al dente every time.

www.nigella.com/recipes/sweet-potato-macaroni-cheese

I have just never met anyone else (apart from my MIL) who does it this way. It's certainly less hassle... Sadly one of my kids prefers the sauce version!

You can always try 3-ingredient macaroni and cheese.

Only just cover the macaroni with salted water. It will get almost completely absorbed and the remaining liquid will be starchy. Don’t drain it.

Tip in 180ml tin of evaporated milk and a load of extra mature cheddar and mix well.

My picky buggers prefer the traditional roux sauce type, but the easy way is pretty good too.

@bendmeoverbackwards - do you have one of those wee magic whisks? You can beat the lumps out of pretty much any sauce with one of those. Just keep whisking.

Our baked macaroni mostly involves mince in a rich tomato sauce. It was a childhood staple but absolutely doable with cheese. Hmm. This thread is making me hungry.

Jamie oliver does one with macaroni and cauliflower and it is delicious !

cook pasta, preferably Marshalls Macaroni drain, put back in pot then add a heap of grated cheese and stir until melted... no cheese sauce here, am wondering if its a scottish thing?

I usually google American one pot recipes where they cook the pasta in milk not water, and then stir in grated cheese at the end to melt it.
Then you can eat it or bake/ grill with more cheese on top.

Go to M&S, buy the Mac and cheese.

I'm a very competent cook but mine never quite works.

Mine is similar to most. Plenty of roux sauce with at least 2 cheeses. I like mature cheddar and red Leicester (I find the slightly more orange colour makes it taste better) with lots of black pepper and a bit of mustard.

BUT the game changer is adding the grated cheeses AFTER you've mixed the white sauce with the pasta and let it cool slightly/stir out the steam. I have no idea why it makes it better, it just does. Then parmesan on the top. I never bake it unless I'm reheating it. Life's too short.

No good for veggies but ours is as follows.

Thick cheese sauce - pour a pint of milk into a pan with a knob of butter, 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour and 200g grated cheese - half a block of a good mature cheddar. Add a heaped teaspoon of English mustard and whisk all ingredients together while heating slowly, whisk until thickened and smooth then allow to simmer for a few mins to cook out the flour and then take off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix your cooked macaroni with some cubed ham and place in a shallow dish. Pour over the sauce. Mix some grated cheese with a handful of breadcrumbs and some Parmesan cheese and scatter over the top. Bake until golden and bubbling. Recently started using penne pasta for this instead of macaroni. That’s good too. With penne it’s really nice to mix the cooked pasta with a good home made bolognese sauce, place in a shallow dish and pour the cheese sauce over and top with the cheese and breadcrumb mix.

Hear me out....the secret to a truly wonderful cheesy mac is MARMITE.