Whisk in finely grated parmesan for a savoury pungency or comté for a French flavour.Īs the sauce can be rich it’s also worth lifting it with a sprinkling of nutmeg or paprika, infusing it with a bay leaf or two, or adding a dollop of mustard and some dried oregano. Instead, go for a blend of easy-to-melt cheeses by combining gouda, gruyère or emmental with mature cheddar. Make sure it’s thick enough you need a sauce that will coat pasta, not a soup.Ĭheddar is the standard cheese choice but using only one type of cheese can result in a one-dimensional dish. When grated cheese is added and stirred until melted, it effectively becomes a mornay sauce. This start with a roux, made by combining melted butter with plain flour then slowly whisking in milk, stirring continually until it thickens. Traditionally, a mac ‘n’ cheese base is made from béchamel sauce. If you want to incorporate extra flavour, consider cooking the pasta in chicken or vegetable stock or a mix of half water and half stock. It's important to keep the pasta firm as it will continue to cook once added to the cheese sauce, and you want to keep some texture in this soft and creamy dish. It's smaller than some pasta shapes, so you won’t need long to get it al dente. The macaroni should be cooked in a large pan of boiling salted water for around 8 minutes (though packet instructions vary). Avoid miniature shapes as these can become mushy. Other pasta shapes such as campanelle, conchiglie and penne are good because these shapes collect sauce, though purists argue that without macaroni it's just a cheesy bake. Long, short, curly and ridged tubes are suitable for the dish but it’s the curved elbow macaroni that’s used most often. Macaroni comes in different shapes and sizes.

Here’s how to make the best-ever macaroni cheese at home. In the US, third president Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing the dish to the States. Recipes continued to appear in 18th- and 19th-century cookbooks the famous Victorian writer Mrs Beeton advocated ‘tender but perfectly firm’ pasta and it’s still cooked al dente today. Italian in origin, versions first featured in the English cookbook, Forme of Curry, as far back as medieval times. It’s inexpensive, simple to make and can be eaten as a main or as a side, plus mixed with or topped with all sorts of lovely extras. Creamy and carby macaroni cheese is the perfect comfort food for cold weather.Īlso known as mac 'n' cheese and macaroni pie, macaroni cheese is a comfort food favourite.

Best ever macaroni and cheese