- Recipes
- Ultimate Mac and Cheese
Ultimate Mac and Cheese
Prep time:
Cook time:
Serves: 6
Mix different leftover cheeses together to create the Ultimate Mac and Cheese masterpiece. That’s why this recipe is so handy for the post-Christmas fridge clear out (when you’re not quite on the January diet yet). We used a combination of Wensleydale, cheddar, cambozola and pecorino cheeses – but you can use whatever cheeses you have. Panko breadcrumbs will give this dish a light and crispy topping, but if you have leftover stale bread you can whiz it in a food processor to make your own breadcrumbs. Other great ways to use up leftover cheese include savoury buns or cheesy risotto.
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Ingredients
- 400g macaroni
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g plain flour
- 600ml whole milk
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 65g wensleydale cheese, grated
- 65g cheddar cheese, grated
- 50g cambozola cheese, diced, or you can use other blue cheese
- 100g diced pancetta
- 1 large leek, chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 12 sage leaves
- 1 knob butter
- 25g panko breadcrumbs
- 20g pecorino, finely grated
- 1 handful peashoots, to serve
Method
Step 1
Cook the pasta to packet instructions in a large saucepan then drain into a colander.
Step 2
Add butter and flour to the same saucepan and place on a medium heat. Use a balloon whisk to combine the two – keep things moving. Cook for 3 mins.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to low and add the milk little by little, whisking constantly.
Step 4
Add nutmeg, a good grind of black pepper and all the cheese and whisk until melted.
Step 5
Add the pasta and mix well until it’s all coated, cover and keep to one side.
Step 6
Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
Step 7
In another saucepan add the diced pancetta and cook for 3 mins, then add the leek, thyme, 8 of the sage leaves (chopped) and butter. Cook for 5 mins until everything is soft and lightly golden then stir this into the pasta. Transfer to a large ovenproof dish.
Step 8
Mix together the panko and pecorino and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni. Dot little bits of butter over the top and the remaining sage leaves.
Step 9
Place the tin into the hot oven for 20 mins by which point it should be golden, crisp and bubbling.
Step 10
Serve with some peashoots on top.
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