Macaroni cheese in 4 easy steps

Macaroni cheese in 4 easy steps

A simple step-by-step guide to making a classic supper dish for quick fix. An old favourite

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Plus infusing
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Prepare the pasta: In a small pan, warm the milk, onion, garlic and bay leaf until almost boiling. Remove from the heat, leave covered to infuse for 10 mins, then strain. Cook the macaroni according to pack instructions until just soft, but still with a little bite (this is called al dente in Italian). This will take about 10 mins. Drain in a colander, then run under the tap and stir to stop the pasta sticking together.
  2. Make a roux: (A roux is simply flour and fat, cooked together, then used to thicken sauces.) Heat oven to 190C/ fan 170C/gas 5 and butter a 25 x 18cm ovenproof dish. Melt the butter in the medium pan. When foaming, add the flour, then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min on a low heat.
  3. Finish the sauce: Slowly stir the warm infused milk into the roux until smooth. Simmer for 3-4 mins, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened and has a coating consistency (run your finger through the sauce on a spoon - it should leave a trail). Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cheddar and mustard powder. Season, then stir until the cheese has melted.
  4. Assemble and bake: Mix the cheesesauce through the macaroni to coat it well, then tip into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan and breadcrumbs over the top, then bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown and bubbling. Serve piping hot on its own or with a green salad.
  5. EQUIPMENT: 1 small saucepan with lid, 1 large saucepan, 1 medium saucepan, colander, chopping board, sharp knife, grater, wooden spoon, ovenproof dish
Try

The macaroni sticks together

Keep running water over the macaroni and break the pieces apart with your fingers. Ideally, time the macaroni so that it is cooked at the same time as you finish the cheese sauce, then mix the two together straight away.

Try some new flavours

Macaroni cheese is a very versatile dish - you can add extra flavours you love or use up leftover ingredients.

Creamy veg

Gently fry some leeks and mushrooms in a little butter, then stir into the pasta along with sauce. Top with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes instead of using Parmesan and breadcrumbs.

Carbonara

For a smoky kick, add a little cooked chopped smoked bacon or pancetta to the sauce.

Special cheese

Add some of your favourite cheese to the sauce instead of the cheddar. Blue cheese works really well, especially a creamy Gorgonzola, or try using some nutty-tasting Gruyère.

The white sauce is too thick

If the sauce is too thick, simply add a little more milk or water to help loosen it. Remember, the addition of cheese and hot macaroni will thicken the sauce further.

Per serving

860 kcalories, protein 36.0g, carbohydrate 97.0g, fat 40.0 g, saturated fat 24.0g, fibre 4.0g, sugar 13.0g, salt 1.72 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo Ami

    18 December 2008

    Ami rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very very nice and yummy. This recipe must be tried!

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  • Binder photo emilybarrallo

    20 January 2009

    emilybarrallo commented on this recipe

    I cooked this a few days ago and it was very nice! i added 2 garlic cloves because i love garlic. i swapped full fat milk to semi skimmed milk. i also used extra mature cheese instead of mature to give it lots of flavour. it was lovely and i will definatly cook again! thanks very much!

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  • Binder photo kevin fields

    18 February 2009

    kevin fields commented on this recipe

    I cut open a waitrose bouquet garni and mixed same with the breadcrumbs. The flavours were amazing. Im refusing to state to my gang where I got the initial recipe. Gorgeous. Mmn !

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  • Binder photo yummum

    28 February 2009

    yummum commented on this recipe

    Gorgeous! We left out the seasoning so our nine month old could have some and he loved it! I'd say 'serves four' is a little low, it fed us for days!

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  • Binder photo julie

    10 April 2009

    julie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a lovely dish, the topping especially was delicious. I would add more cheddar next time.

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  • Binder photo TheEdda

    14 May 2009

    TheEdda rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This a great recipe. You could probably stretch it to five or even six portions.

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  • Binder photo Katie

    22 May 2009

    Katie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I disagree with those who say not to bother with the onion and bay leaf - to make an extra special macaroni cheese they really are worth it to add a lovely flavour to the sauce.

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  • Binder photo Scott & Katie

    27 May 2009

    Scott & Katie rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    For quite a lot of effort the results were quite average. Suggestions: less mustard and forget about the whole infusion thing.

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  • Binder photo AEJ

    05 August 2009

    AEJ commented on this recipe

    This is so delicious. I could eat it ALL THE TIME. But then I would get super fat. Really good idea to use onions, garlic and bay leaves to flavour the cheese sauce. Makes a massive difference. Dead easy too.

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  • Binder photo richard

    06 August 2009

    richard commented on this recipe

    I also disagree with all those who say not to bother with the onion and bay. A classic white sauce which is the base for cheese sauce is made with milk infused with these flavours. I grate the onion also a stick of celery and a carrot and throw in a few black peppercorns. It really makes a difference. Try it, you'll see!!

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  • Binder photo laureana

    14 September 2009

    laureana rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    i didnt find this recipe that exciting, i followed the recipe exactly, but found that when the macaroni was cooked there wasnt enough sauce, went down well with my boyfriend and little girl though, wil probably make again when the fridge is empty and im stuck for ideas!!

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  • Binder photo SUGARPUFF

    24 November 2009

    SUGARPUFF rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    really tasty-i used leek and mushrooms as suggested and topped with sliced tomato -made nice leftovers for lunch the next day

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  • Binder photo Talisha

    08 December 2009

    Talisha commented on this recipe

    Easy to make and good results, next time I will add some ham and mexican chedder cheese to mix things up.

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  • Binder photo keencook

    23 December 2009

    keencook commented on this recipe

    There is a mistake in this recipe. 5g butter would not absorb 50g flour. The proportions should be 50g butter to 50g flour.

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  • Binder photo emmabubble

    29 December 2009

    emmabubble rated this recipe

    2 stars

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  • Binder photo andrewjr

    07 February 2010

    andrewjr rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Lorna

    14 June 2010

    Lorna commented on this recipe

    I made this the other night. Simply delicious. Added a little cream instead of all the milk and it made it extra yummy! Also, substituted English Mustard for Dijon - just personal taste, and it worked fine.

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  • Binder photo HappyBunny

    06 September 2010

    HappyBunny rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a superb recipe! We added some paprika and garlic granules to the breadcrumbs and stirred some mascarpone cheese into the cheese sauce before adding the macaroni. The onion, garlic and bay leaf make all the difference to the flavour of the sauce. Super creamy and delicious!!

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  • Binder photo Dandepom

    07 October 2010

    Dandepom commented on this recipe

    To prevent any pasta sticking together after straining it, save about a tablespoon of the cooking liquid and mix this through the pasta. Dandepom

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  • Binder photo Najarah

    12 October 2010

    Najarah commented on this recipe

    For a lighter, less fattening, sauce, first make white sauce with just cornflour, couple of tbsps, and semi-skimmed milk, no butter, whisk over heat to make smooth and prevent sticking until thickens, then add the cheese and seasoning.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 30 mins

Plus infusing
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 700ml full-fat milk
  • 1 onion , peeled and halved
  • 1 garlic clove , peeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 350g macaroni
  • 5g butter , plus a little extra for greasing
  • 50g plain flour
  • 175g mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp English mustard
  • 50g parmesan , grated
  • 50g coarse white breadcrumbs
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Per serving

860 kcalories, protein 36.0g, carbohydrate 97.0g, fat 40.0 g, saturated fat 24.0g, fibre 4.0g, sugar 13.0g, salt 1.72 g

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