Serves 6
Prep time | 15 minutes
Cooking time | 15 minutes
This is a very basic recipe for macaroni cheese. There are any number of variations you can make to the basic recipe – I have listed some of these in the notes below.
Ingredients
• 375 g packet dried macaroni or small spirals
• 50g butter
• 1/3 cup (50 g) flour
• 3 ½ cups (875 ml) milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (240g) tasty cheese, grated
• salt and pepper
Method
1. Prepare the pasta using the cooking directions on the packet.
2. In a large pot, melt butter and add flour over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it gathers into a dough. Continue to stir for another minute or so. This begins to cook the flour.
3. Add a little milk – about ¼ cup. This will incorporate fairly quickly into the dough and will once again come away from the sides of the pan and look like dough. Once this happens you can add another ¼ cup milk and repeat until all the milk has been added. Stir in mustard, then add cheese and stir until it melts. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if required.
4. Stir the pasta through the cheese sauce.
5. If desired, scatter the top with extra cheese and bake until golden and bubbling.
Variations : add corn kernels, baby peas, chopped cooked bacon, sliced shallots (spring onions), fresh herbs, chopped semi-dried tomatoes, tinned tuna, sliced cooked mushrooms, or any number of other ingredients.
