(Almost) Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni2It’s all about comfort food this time of year and pasta bakes are especially great for cold, cozy evenings, as well as really great value for families on a budget.

This is meant to be a macaroni cheese recipe except on this particularly night I realised we didn’t have any macaroni so made it with pasta shells instead! But essentially any pasta will work of course.

What You Need

  • 500g dried pasta
  • Packet of bacon lardons
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 5 spring onions, sliced
  • Small tin of sweetcorn
  • 25g flour
  • 25g butter
  • 600ml milk
  • 180g mature cheddar cheese
  • 1-2 tsp English or wholegrain mustard
  • Breadcrumbs
  • A few drops of Worcestershire sauce

MacaroniWhat You Do

  • Cook pasta as per instructions and drain
  • Meanwhile, fry off the lardons until crispy, then adding the spring onions & garlic until softened.
  • Make a basic white sauce by melting the butter gently in a saucepan and then adding the flour.  Slowly add the milk, a little at time, stirring continuously until you are left with a smooth sauce.
  • Add the mustard and half the cheese to the sauce and keep on a gentle heat for a minute or two until melted
  • Combine the bacon mixture, white sauce and pasta in a big bowl and combine well.
  • Pour into a ovenproof dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese, breadcrumbs and Worcester sauce on top.
  • Bake for 20-25 on Gas Mark 6 until golden and crunchy on top

Tips & Tags

*perfect for kids/ideal for entertaining/winter warmer*

  • You can add as many vegetables as you like to this dish and it’s a great way to help children to enjoy them.
  • Add cheese to a shop bought white sauce if you’re low on time

You may also like my Tuna Pasta Bake Recipe, or click here for all my food posts.

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