Everyday Kitchen

American · Dinner

Macaroni cheese

Draft recipe — not kitchen-tested
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.

Jump to recipe

Representative photograph of macaroni cheese
Representative photograph of macaroni cheese. This photograph is not a result of testing this draft. Photo credit and licence
0 of 4 steps complete

Screen wake-lock status will appear when cooking view starts.

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

Choose any positive whole number of servings. Ingredients and measured amounts in steps scale together. Times, temperatures and equipment stay unchanged. For larger yields, cook separate original-size batches. Counted ingredients can become fractions; beat eggs before dividing them. Fixed correction-water checks remain fixed.

Pasta

Sauce

Top

Equipment

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

Check all product labels and cross-contact. Diet groups describe this listed draft, 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

  • Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or within one hour in heat above 32°C / 90°F. Store covered at 4°C / 40°F or below. Use within two days for this draft.
  • Reheat cooked dishes to 74°C / 165°F, stirring or turning for even heating. Serve cold salads, dips and chilled desserts directly from safe refrigeration.
  • For sauces and soups, add a little water if thick and reheat gently. Crisp coatings soften after 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

Related recipes