Everyday (light) Mac & Cheese
Sarah ClarksonLighter - Mac and cheese
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Author
Sarah C
Servings
2
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
This “lighter” British Mac and cheese is more like macaroni with a cheesy roux sauce - to be clear it’s not healthy or low calorie. But it’s not in the same camp as that oven baked extra cheesy thanksgiving Mac and Cheese that leaves you questioning your life choices.
Anyway, it’s toddler friendly & it kind of reminds me of what I thought Mac and Cheese was as a kid growing up in the UK in the 90’s. Before I knew its true potential!
Ingredients
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½ cup, Macaroni
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½ tsp salt plus more to taste
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1 tbsp butter
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½ tsp garlic powder
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1 tbsp plain flour
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240ml milk
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100 -150g Sharp Cheddar (English or Irish is best) grated
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Optional - pepper to taste
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Optional - breadcrumbs for sprinkling on top
Directions
Bring pasta water to a boil in a sauce pan with ½ tsp salt. Add your macaroni & cook according to pasta instructions.
Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the garlic powder a pinch of salt. Once the butter has melted add your flour, stir together with the melted butter to make a smooth paste. Cook this for about a minute.
next add the milk into the pan whisking together with the butter flour paste to remove any lumps. Continue whisking the mixture while you bring it up to a simmer to prevent lumps.
Once you have a nice smooth slightly thickened roux sauce you can turn off the heat and add in 100g of grated cheddar. Stir this until it melts and you have a nice smooth cheese sauce. Taste and add more cheese, salt and pepper to your taste.
Add your drained macaroni to your cheese sauce and mix to combine.
Serve right away with a little grated cheese and breadcrumbs to the top.
To take this up a notch, you can double the quantity and pour the Mac and cheese into a large baking dish. Cover the top with a sprinkling of cheese, and bread crumbs and bake it in the oven at 350 for 20-30 mins until the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs are browned.