Simple Macaroni Cheese Recipe

This macaroni cheese recipe makes 4 servings.

Macaroni cheese is a dish I've been wanting to make for a while now. We had macaroni cheese as a regular favourite as a child, homemade, of course, by Mum. No ready made tinned stuff in those days. I've never seen it in a supermarket here or served as a dish in a restaurant, at least not where I live. So here is my recipe, no fuss, easy to make and very tasty.

I like to make this with cheddar cheese, but you can make it with any cheese you like; just make sure it is a cheese that will melt easily in the sauce. Hard cheese, such as parmesan, doesn't melt well, and you will end up with a grainy sauce. I also like to add sliced juicy tomatoes to the top at the end of cooking.

Ingredients

• Macaroni - 250g macaroni pasta
• Flour - 60g plain flour
• Butter - 60g unsalted butter
• Milk - 600 ml milk
• Cheese - 160g cheddar cheese
• Mustard - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Tomato - 1 sliced tomato
• a splash of Worcestershire source

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the macaroni in salted water. As we are going to bake it in the oven, cook it until it's a bit less done than normal. The brand I use takes 13 minutes, so I give it 11 minutes for macaroni cheese.
2. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan slightly larger than that used for the macaroni. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Cook for a few minutes.
3. Gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Cook for 10–15 minutes until you have a thickened and smooth sauce. We don't want the sauce to be too thick as it will thicken further in the oven. Add a dash of milk if needed. You can add salt and pepper if you wish, but I find that the cheese has plenty of salt.
4. Remove the sauce from the hob, add the mustard and 190g cheese and stir until it is well combined and the cheese has melted. I like to add a couple of splashes of Worcestershire source for a bit of added flavour.
5. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep, suitably sized ovenproof dish.
6. Grate more cheese over the top of the macaroni. I like to grate some parmesan on mine.
7. Place the dish into a preheated 180℃ oven and cook for 20 minutes.
8. At the end of cooking, add the sliced tomatoes to the top. I like to grate a little more cheese over the tomatoes and grill for a couple of minutes.

Serve with a nice green salad for the perfect meal.