Macaroni cheese - your best recipe

[Imbimba]

I must have macaroni cheese for dinner today. I am 6.5 weeks pregnant with DC3, I feel really sick, and the comforting deliciousness that is macaroni cheese has been on my mind since last night.

I can make a white sauce no problem. Do i just add grated cheese? Does anyone have any tips to make it extra delicious?

The thought of it is going to get me through the day. Any recipes appreciated.

I add loads of cheddar to the sauce and grated Parmesan too. I read to add Parmesan lately having never done it before and the Parmesan gives it that really cheesy taste.. Mmmm..

Oh and then under grill with loads of cheddar over it to brown.. Aw you've put me in the mood now...

Some folk add a bit of mustard to the sauce but I hate mustard so I don't..

It is also good with a little finely chopped onion. An American friend also adds a little bit of canned tomato juice - it goes a bit oddly pink but is amazingly good.

I always add loads of strong cheddar to the white sauce (much more than any recipe I've seen!!) and sprinkle some over the top so that it goes all crispy under the grill.
I do put a pinch of mustard powder in as well (despite not liking mustard) - just a very small amount gives it a bit of a kick.
Don't over-cook the macaroni otherwise it'll go all mushy.
Lots of black pepper too.

I really want macaroni cheese now

I second tomato juice, or just a quarter of a tin of tomatoes if I'm lazy...

Tastes amazing!

I make it without cheese sauce. I just cook the macaroni, mix in grated cheese then sprinkle a little bit of paprika on the top and put it under the grill to brown. It's my favourite food.

I pre-fried leeks and bacon and mixed them in, then at the end sprinkled breadcrumbs and extra cheese on top for texture and slung it under the grill until the top went brown. Amazing.

I add a little Cajun pepper too the white sauce then add more cheese and sliced tomatoes on top before cooking or add leeks/broccoli into it that's always nice. I had still have a macaroni cheese craving for the last couple of months of my pregnancy- even had it on my way to the hosp whist in labour ha :)

boil your pasta, drain it, stir through some butter, and tip it into a dish.

grate your cheese, make three piles...one small and two big.

make your THICK white sauce. Add a small pile of the cheese to the sauce, plenty of S&P and a gratering of nutmeg if you have it. And dod of mustard...what ever you have.

Add one of the big piles of cheese to the pasta and stir it about in the dish ...shallow is best.

Pour the sauce over the pasta but do not stir it through.

Non veggies may annoint the top with bacon and then scatter over the last pile of cheese

Into the oven until the cheese is golden and the bacon is crispy.

Use a mix of cheese; strong cheddar, red leics, gruyere, whatever is lurking in the fridge. Plus a good dollop of grainy French mustard and black pepper (no salt).
Add some grated cheese and breadcrumbs before putting in oven. Eat with a super simple green salad. Go back for seconds on the basis you are growing a whole new skeleton and need the calcium. Repeat as necessary

(I mean breadcrumbs and cheese on top to make crunchy top....obviously there's cheese in it!)

If I do a white sauce, I make it thick and with onion in.

I wanted some without the faff recently, so I mixed a large tub of philidelphia cheese into the hot cooked pasta, then mixed in some grated strong cheddar, put it in a lasagne type ceramic dish and put more cheese on top. Was lovely and easier/nicer without the white sauce method.

...and now I want some today too!

I put mustard and fried onions in it. Also crispy bacon and sometime use blue chees in the sasuce (is this a prgnancy no-no now?). Loads of cheese and some sliced tomatoes on the top and grill.

I like mine with brocoli baked into it.

A bit of mild curry powder added to the cheese sauce is delicious.

Cream and copius amounts of grated cheese (all different kinds) melted into it. It's rather (!) indulgent and I wouldn't recommend on a weekly basis, but VERY yummy!

add a teaspoon of mustard to the white sauce and add lots of cheese, way more that any recipe requires. plenty of black pepper.

the dc love it when I add dry fried bacon lardons (if no lardons just cut back bacon into strips and dry fry) and garden peas, if ds1 isn't about we add sweetcorn as well mix it all up, add a mix of grated cheese and breadcrumbs to the top and put in the oven until crispy on top. serve with garlic bread and green salad. yummy. I think we might have this tonight too. (I also add spinach to it and the dc eat it without complaint whereas if I put spinach on the plate they wouldn't touch it.

Add some grated nutmeg to the sauce, and, for extra deliciousness, a dollop of double cream, mmmm

haven't made it for a while but my top tips are

use a lot of mature cheddar

add some caramelised onions

add a dollop (to taste) of English mustard.

whatever you do, do not put slices of tomato on the top. That is just wrong wrong wrong.

Oooh, haven't had this for aaaages, must make it soon!

Wonderful! Thanks for all these tips. I think i might drag myself off the sofa to get some bacon. Yum. God, it's hours until dinner....

Delia Smith's Macaroni with leeks and bacon is a particularily delicious version:
Yummy Macaroni

Bacon and I add mustard powder and cayenne to very cheesy sauce.

Ooh yes I always put bacon in mine! Fry a chopped onion, then add the bacon, at the same time as you're making the sauce and boiling the pasta. I use Delia's recipe for any kind of cheese sauce, which basically uses any kind of cheese you have. (I use about 120g cheese to a pint of sauce). Stir the bacon and onion into the sauce and stir that all into the pasta. I know most people then bake it but I ever bother, unless I need to keep it warm to eat a bit later. It's delicious :) Think I might make it tonight now, thanks OP!

Utter bastards. Defrosting bacon right now. Had oh so healthy plans for this evening and everything.

Ah but it'll be worth it LittleRed !