Trying to be different Mac And Cheese

Name: Trying to be different Mac And Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10 cloves of garlic; 45g butter; 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour; 6 bay leaves; 1 litre semi-skimmed milk; 600g dried macaroni; 8 tomatoes; 150g cheddar cheese; 100g parmesan cheese; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce; 1 whole nutmeg for grating; 3 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs; olive oil; kosher salt; 8 ounces pasta; cooking spray; 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter; ½ cup red onion chopped; 3 garlic cloves minced; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups low fat milk; ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme; freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes quartered, or grape; 10 pitted kalamata olives chopped; 3 cups fresh baby spinach chopped; fresh dill or parsley, for garnish

10 steps

Prep:15minCook:45min

Just a fusion of Mac & Cheese recipes I found. I just wanted ideas of what to put in...Put your own twist on it with my blessing

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:18:26 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories1136.5 kcal (57%)

Total Fat36.5 g (52%)

Carbs153.7 g (59%)

Sugars23.8 g (26%)

Protein47.6 g (95%)

Sodium954.9 mg (48%)

Fiber8.9 g (32%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

Step 1

Peel and finely slice the garlic.

Step 2

Get a large pan of salted water on the boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux.

Step 3

Add all the sliced garlic – don’t worry about the amount because each slice will caramelise like toffee in the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky.

Step 4

Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally.

Step 5

Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.

OvenPreheat

Step 6

Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with sea salt and black pepper. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan.

Step 7

Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, chopped tomatoes and pick in half of the thyme leaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a little grating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it’s hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.

Step 8

If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious.

Step 9

While it’s cooking, put your breadcrumbs and the rest of the the thyme leaves into a pan with a few drizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs around until crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nice bowl.

Step 10

Serve your macaroni cheese in the centre of the table, with your bowl of crispy breadcrumbs for sprinkling over, and a lovely green salad.