It’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
- 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.