Best-ever macaroni cheese

Best-ever macaroni cheese

Use up the remnants of a French stick to make a crunchy topping for this family favourite

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 40 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Spread the chunks of bread over a baking sheet, drizzle with the melted butter and season. Bake for 6 mins until crisp, then set aside.
  2. Boil the pasta for 2 mins less than stated on the pack. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and mustard, cook for 1 min, then stir in the flour. Cook for 1 min more, then gradually whisk in the milk until you have a lump-free sauce. Simmer for 5 mins, whisking constantly until thickened. Take off the heat, then stir in all the cheddar and half the Parmesan.
  3. Stir the pasta and some seasoning into the cheesy sauce, then tip into a large ovenproof dish, or 4 individual dishes. Scatter over the bread and remaining Parmesan, then bake for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Can be frozen before baking - defrost thoroughly before cooking.
Try

USE UP BLUE CHEESE

Crumble 50g Stilton, Dolcelatte or Roquefort into the sauce, instead of the Parmesan. Spoon 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 before.

PER SERVING

860 kcalories, protein 38.0g, carbohydrate 88.0g, fat 42.0 g, saturated fat 25.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 9.0g, salt 1.92 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo EllieRJ

    20 May 2010

    EllieRJ rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Ed

    28 May 2010

    Ed rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Me and my partner really enjoyed this recipe. Being the student novices at cooking that we are we used a little too much sauce for too however it was amazing. We had no bread however had some croutons left over and they blended in beautifully. Its a very good recipe for a warming filling evening. We would highly recommend this to others.

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  • Binder photo Sophie

    28 May 2010

    Sophie commented on this recipe

    I agree, this was amazing and a very filling and comforting meal. Great for students using left overs with pasta, milk and other store cupboard goods.

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  • Binder photo Murkish

    05 August 2010

    Murkish rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Tonytencokes

    04 September 2010

    Tonytencokes commented on this recipe

    Really easy family meal to cook, everybody enjoyed it including my fussy 3 year old. Will be cooking this again.

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  • Binder photo Niclier

    05 January 2011

    Niclier rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Tasty. I used a mix of cheddar and Saint Agur (just what I had in the fridge) which worked well, plus some ham and tomatoes under the topping. I halved the quantities, but I should have made more source.

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  • Binder photo lol264

    03 March 2011

    lol264 commented on this recipe

    Absolutely delicious, i used to love macaroni as a child and now cook this recipe weekly, Occassionally adding pancetta. Best Macaroni recipe i have found especially with heh crunchy topping.

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  • Binder photo thynk2much

    18 August 2011

    thynk2much rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love this one, make it all the time. I always slice some tomatoes over the top for added flavour. Serve with a green salad and job done!

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  • Binder photo katcurnock

    08 February 2012

    katcurnock commented on this recipe

    can anyone suggest a healthy side to go with this?

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  • Binder photo Delicious

    11 May 2012

    Delicious rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really easy and the crumbs on top are very nice. It's not a regular in my house but nice once in a while.

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  • Binder photo Tarin

    03 November 2012

    Tarin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic now a family favorite. I love the bread on top. I left the bread sliced and large. The garlic fused through the bread like garlic bread mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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  • Binder photo AlisonL324

    16 November 2012

    AlisonL324 commented on this recipe

    Delicious version of macaroni cheese, although quite rich. The sauce makes divine cauliflower cheese. The mustard powder and garlic flavours are amazing.

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  • Binder photo AlisonL324

    16 November 2012

    AlisonL324 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Forgot to rate!

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  • Binder photo Helena Ann

    29 November 2012

    Helena Ann commented on this recipe

    This truly is the best EVER macaroni cheese. I make macaroni cheese quite often, for myself and my daughter who are vegetarian. I used to chop up an onion and add it to the cheese sauce. I couldn't see any reason why I couldn't do this to this one, it was delicious. Just add it to the the mustard and garlic stage. My husband and son who are not vegetarian liked the extra crunch that the onion gave it.

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  • Binder photo KELLY COOKS

    04 January 2013

    KELLY COOKS commented on this recipe

    Lovely. Used brown bread for breadcrumbs and only had cheddar with garlic and chives which was v tasty. I only have semi skimmed milk so used that and didn't bother with the Parmesan or the melted butter on the bread either. I think it then reduces the calories to about 770 per serving.

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  • Binder photo LIZZY

    13 January 2013

    LIZZY commented on this recipe

    Really, really delicious

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  • Binder photo dariodrz

    04 February 2013

    dariodrz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    We put together the ingredients just as shown and fate took care of the rest. amazing recipe!

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  • Binder photo Moonfan

    15 March 2013

    Moonfan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really great recipe. I used whole grain mustard instead as that's all I had and it turned out really tasty. I will be making this again as a treat as normally I don't eat this much cheese! Really wonderful meal though!

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  • Binder photo Jenny

    16 March 2013

    Jenny commented on this recipe

    Delicious!

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  • Binder photo neelz

    21 March 2013

    neelz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very good recipe, added some bacon and leeks when mixing the sauce with pasta and turned out perfect!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 40 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 50g baguette , cut into small chunks
  • 2 tbsp butter , plus 1 tbsp melted
  • 350g spiral or other short pasta
  • 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 500ml whole milk
  • 250g mature cheddar , grated
  • 50g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
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PER SERVING

860 kcalories, protein 38.0g, carbohydrate 88.0g, fat 42.0 g, saturated fat 25.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 9.0g, salt 1.92 g

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