Macaroni Cheese with a Crispy Breadcrumb Topping
Classic, creamy, dreamy comfort food! Perfectly cooked macaroni pasta swathed in a smooth and silky cheese sauce and topped with a crispy breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 180g dried macaroni (see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 1½ teaspoons fine salt
For cheesy sauce:
- 35g unsalted butter
- 12g/3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 35g plain/all-purpose flour
- 525ml milk, full fat or semi-skimmed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 200g grated cheddar cheese or a mix of cheese e.g. use cheese which will melt well such as cheddar, Comté, Gruyère, mozzarella, parmesan
For the crispy breadcrumb topping:
- 30g unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 50g breadcrumbs, preferably panko
Garnish:
- chopped herbs e.g. shredded basil or chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
-
For the pasta: cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions but for 2 minutes less than recommended, usually around 8 – 12 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, drain well.
-
For the sauce: in a medium saucepan melt the butter, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
-
Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
-
Add all the milk to the butter, garlic and flour and mix vigorously with a balloon whisk until evenly incorporated and there are no lumps.
-
Bring to the boil, reduce the temperature and simmer gently for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring continuously, either with a wooden spoon or the balloon whisk.
-
Add the Dijon mustard, ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, the freshly ground black pepper and stir well.
-
Stir the cheese into the sauce, mix well and cook stirring continuously until melted and throughly mixed in.
-
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
-
Assemble the Macaroni Cheese: add the cooked and drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
-
Tip the Macaroni Cheese into a greased baking dish and level the surface.
-
Cover with foil and bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
-
Make the crispy breadcrumb topping: whilst the Macaroni Cheese is cooking, make the breadcrumb topping. Melt the butter in a small pan and add the remaining ingredients: the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper and, of course, the breadcrumbs.
-
Stir well and ensure everything is thoroughly mixed and coated with butter.
-
Finish the Macaroni Cheese: remove from the oven and check to see if it hot and bubbling. (Normally after around 30 - 40 minutes.) Remove the foil.
-
Scatter the breadcrumb topping evenly over the top of the Macaroni Cheese and pop back in the oven. (No foil)
-
Cook for a further 15 minutes or so to crisp and brown the topping and ensure it is piping hot throughout.
-
Scatter some chopped parsley or chives or shredded basil over the top of your bake.
-
Serve: see Recipe Notes for serving suggestions.
Recipe Notes
Pasta:
You could also use penne, fusilli, rigatoni, orecchiette, ziti or farfalle
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- saucepans x 2
- cheese grater
- sieve or colander
- buttered ovenproof dish - I used a 20 cm/8 inch square dish 6cm/2 1/2 inches deep
Serving options:
- Crisp green salad
- Crisp mixed salad
- Rocket leaves
- Salad dressing e.g. balsamic dressing
- Garlic bread
- Shredded basil leaves or chopped parsley
- Pesto e.g. basil, wild garlic
Portions:
This really depends on how hungry you are! I find the quantity here is more than sufficient for 4 of us with a salad and garlic bread. However if you have big appetites or are feeding teenage boys you may wish to increase by 50% or even double the quantities. Any left overs warm up really well in the microwave the following day.
Cooking times:
The length of time your Macaroni Cheese will take to cook will depend on:
- the dish you have used, which in turn will affect the depth of the Pasta Bake
- your oven, and
- how cold the Bake is before going into the oven.
Before adding the breadcrumbs, check the centre of the pasta. Sometimes the edges are bubbling and very hot whilst the centre can still be only a little warm. Add the breadcrumbs when the centre is hot but not yet boiling/bubbling.
Cooking from the fridge:
If you have prepared this dish in advance, up until the end of point 11, and you are cooking it directly from the fridge, you will need to give it an extra 10 minutes in the oven with the foil on. I.e. foil on for 40 minutes, remove foil, top with the breadcrumb topping and continue to cook without the foil for a further 15 minutes.