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American · Dinner

Macaroni cheese

VegEasy

Diet: Veg

Fold cooked macaroni into a cheese sauce, then bake briefly. Add cheese off the heat to keep the sauce smooth.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Cuisine
American
Course
Dinner

Estimated times for the original batch. Preparation, cooking and listed waiting time are included. Batch cooking can take longer.

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Ingredients

Metric weights use grams. US weights use ounces; liquids use fluid ounces. Conversions are rounded. Spoon measures use 5 ml teaspoons and 15 ml tablespoons; cups use 240 ml.

Serves 4

Pasta

Sauce

Top

Equipment

Pot; sieve; saucepan; whisk; baking dish; oven.

Check all product labels and cross-contact. Diet groups describe this listed recipe, not every substitution.

Steps

Boil pasta · About 10 min

  1. Boil 2500 ml water with 1 tsp salt; cook 300 g macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Drain. Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F.

Make sauce · About 10 min

  1. Melt 40 g butter; stir in 40 g plain flour for 1 minute. Whisk in 600 ml milk gradually; simmer for 5–7 minutes.

    Check: The sauce thickens and loses its raw flour taste.

Add cheese · About 3 min

  1. Turn off heat; stir in 200 g cheddar, grated, 1 tsp mustard and ½ tsp black pepper. Fold in pasta and transfer to a baking dish.

Bake · About 15 min

  1. Scatter 50 g cheddar, grated; bake for 12–15 minutes.

    Check: The edges bubble and the top is lightly golden.

Tips

  • Do not boil vigorously after cheese is added.
  • Pasta finishes cooking in the sauce.

Substitutions

  • Use a vegetarian cheddar if avoiding animal rennet.
  • Use small pasta shells instead of macaroni.

Storage

  • Get perishable Macaroni cheese into the fridge within two hours, or within one hour above 32°C / 90°F. Eat Macaroni cheese within two days, keeping it covered at 4°C / 40°F or colder.
  • Bring cooked Macaroni cheese to 74°C / 165°F, stirring or turning it for even heating. When Macaroni cheese is part of the meal, serve cold salads, dips and chilled desserts straight from safe refrigeration.
  • If Macaroni cheese includes a thick sauce or soup, loosen it with a little water during gentle reheating. Any crisp coating on Macaroni cheese becomes softer in storage.

Make ahead

  • Grate cheese one day ahead.
  • Make sauce ahead; reheat and loosen with milk before combining.

FAQ

Why is sauce grainy?

Cheese may have overheated. Add it after turning off the heat.

Can I serve without baking?

Cook pasta fully and combine with hot sauce; the top will not brown.

Can I freeze it?

Freeze cooled portions for up to two months; thaw and reheat thoroughly.

Food safety references

FoodSafety.gov: cooking temperatures · Food Standards Agency: rice storage and reheating

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