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Main · American

Mac and cheese

Stovetop cheese sauce, mature cheddar, optional crunchy grilled top. The kid-pleaser.

30 min 25 min hands-on Serves 4 American Kid friendly

Mac and cheese is pasta bound in a smooth cheese sauce, comforting in its simplicity and endlessly adaptable. A good version starts with a roux thickened into a bechamel, then melted cheese stirred through off the heat. Bake it for a crisp top or keep it stovetop for a quicker, creamier result.

Ingredients

  • 350 g macaroni
  • salt, for the pasta water, and to taste
  • 40 g butter
  • 40 g plain flour
  • 600 ml whole milk
  • 250 g cheddar, mature, grated: 200g for the sauce, 50g for the top (all 250g in the sauce if not grilling)
  • 50 g parmesan, grated
  • 1 tsp english mustard
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 30 g panko breadcrumbs, for the crunchy top (optional)

Method

  1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil for the pasta. Grate the cheddar and parmesan, and warm the milk in a small pan or the microwave until steaming, so it whisks into the sauce without lumps.
  2. Cook the macaroni until tender outside with a firm bite still in the centre, 1 minute less than the packet says (2 minutes less if you will grill it), usually 6 to 9 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of the cooking water, drain the pasta and toss it with a splash of that water so it does not clump.
  3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, until it bubbles gently and smells of biscuits; this cooks out the raw flour taste.
  4. Pour in the warm milk a splash at a time, whisking constantly, until smooth. Simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring often and getting into the corners, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes.
  5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mustard, all the parmesan and 200g of the cheddar (all of it if not grilling) until melted and glossy; off the heat, the cheese melts smooth rather than grainy. Season with pepper and a little salt, then fold in the macaroni, loosening with a splash of the cooking water.
  6. Finish it one of two ways. Straight from the pan: spoon it into warm bowls. With a grilled top: heat the grill to high, tip it into a grill-safe dish, scatter over the remaining cheddar and the breadcrumbs and grill for 4 to 6 minutes, until bubbling and golden in patches. Serve with peas or a green salad.

Tips

  • Grate your own cheese, as pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.
  • Scatter breadcrumbs over the top before grilling for an extra crunchy, golden crust.
  • Undercook the pasta slightly if baking, since it will continue to soften in the oven.

Common questions

What is the best cheese for mac and cheese?

A sharp mature cheddar gives the most flavour, often blended with a melting cheese like Gruyere or mozzarella for stretch.

Why did my cheese sauce go grainy?

It usually splits from too much heat. Melt the cheese gently off the boil and avoid letting the sauce simmer hard once the cheese is in.