Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese

For an easy mid-week meal you can't go past the good old macaroni cheese.

Recently I was converted to making my macaroni cheese with a cauliflower alfredo sauce, but sometimes it's still nice to treat yourself to the original version and this Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese my Mum and Dad made a few weeks ago was awesome. Serve it up with some steamed greens like broccolini and beans and you're onto a real winner. 

Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese - Serves 4

500g macaroni
1/2 tspn salt
50g butter
50g plain flour
400ml full fat milk
200g mature cheddar
2 eggs
1/2 tspn black pepper
1/2 tspn ground paprika

Pre-heat oven to 180C / 160C fan forced.

Place the pasta and salt in a large pot of boiling water and cook as per packet directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan with the liquid.

In the meantime, make the sauce by melting the butter in a pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir and cook for 1 minute.

Remove pan from heat and slowly add the milk, continuing to stir to ensure a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool a little.

Finely chop 150g of the cheese and grate the remaining 50g. Combine the chopped cheese, eggs, pepper and paprika with the sauce. Stir through the pasta.

Spoon mixture into a large oven dish. Top with grated cheese and bake for 30-35 mins until golden and crispy. Serve with steamed greens.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx