Mac n Cheese - Stock & Bothered

There is nothing more comforting than macaroni and cheese, you can serve it with a side salad, but I just like to have carbs when carbs are due.

For ultimate trick is to only boil the pasta for 5 minutes, then add to the pan with the sauce and allow to cool and absorb the sauce.

I tend to serve this alongside another pasta dish, such as Lasagne, Sausage Pasta or Courgette and Mushroom Pasta Bake.

It works really well if you’ve got friends or family around, add a salad and some focaccia and you’ve got a banquet!

First make the sauce

Melt the butter in the pan on a medium heat.
Once melted add the flour and whisk until a smooth paste.
Now remove from the heat and add the milk a splash at a time.
Each time whisk until it is absorbed. If you add too much too quickly you’ll end up with a lumpy sauce.
Put back on the stove, heat and continually whisk, otherwise you’ll find the paste falls to the bottom and burns.
Once the sauce has thickened add the cheese, stir through and switch off the heat.

Now parboil the pasta for 5 mins, drain and add the dish. Pour most of the sauce over the pasta and stir through ensuring it is all coated.
Add the remaining sauce. It will look like you’ve added too much, but the pasta will absorb some of the moisture.
Set aside to cool and if you haven’t got some lying around make some breadcrumbs.

I tend to keep the crusts and ends of bread and blend a big batch of breadcrumbs. You can then freeze the in a tuberware for when you need them.

Just plain ones are fine, but you can add the following for a bit more flavour: