A no-fuss homemade mac 'n' cheese with a silky cheddar sauce, baked golden with sliced tomato on top.
Prep
40 mins
Cook
25 mins
Serves
4
Total
1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients
250g macaroni
70g plain flour
70g unsalted butter
700ml milk
250g cheddar cheese, grated, plus a little extra for finishing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 tomato, sliced
A couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce
Method
Cook the macaroni.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni until just underdone, as it will continue cooking in the oven. The brand I use takes 13 minutes, so I cook it for 7 minutes for macaroni cheese. Drain and set aside.
Make the roux.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until fully melted and slightly foaming. Add the flour and stir continuously to form a paste (roux). Cook for 3–5 minutes.
Prepare the cheese sauce.
Gradually add the milk to the roux, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook for 10–15 minutes until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Avoid making it too thick, as it will continue to thicken during baking. If needed, add a splash more milk. Add the salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Add the cheese.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the mustard and 220g of the grated cheese until fully melted and combined. I like to add a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce for a bit of added flavour.
Combine the pasta and sauce.
Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Transfer to a deep, suitably sized ovenproof dish.
Top with cheese.
Sprinkle the remaining 30g of grated cheese evenly over the top.
Bake.
Place the dish in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for 20 minutes.
Finish with tomatoes.
At the end of cooking, arrange the sliced tomato on top. I like to grate a little extra cheese over the tomato and place the dish under a hot grill for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes are softened and the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve with a nice green salad for the perfect meal.