A killer mac 'n' cheese
'Mac 'n' cheese' is a classic American pasta dish – everyone loves it. Sometimes it's done so badly in the convenience area, it's almost become famous for being horrible, but when you do it properly, trust me, it's an absolute killer. Feel free to use any tubular pasta you want. I've made this dish my own by lightening it with sweet tomatoes and giving it some crunch with delicious breadcrumbs. Just you wait till you try it! This dish isn't going to win any prizes in the nutrition department, but you can, and should, balance it with a nice salad. If you only have it once in a while as a special treat, it'll do you no harm.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 14 of 15 ingredients — the other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 14 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| Bay Leaf | 1 leaf (0.6g) | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Macaroni | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 45 g butter
- 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 litre semi-skimmed milk
- 600 g dried macaroni
- 8 tomatoes
- 150 g Cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 100 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 1 grating nutmeg, optional
- 3 big handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
- olive oil