Name: Baked Macaroni Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 200 g macaroni pasta; 45 g butter; 45 g plain flour; 750 ml milk; 240 g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen, defrosted); 150 g cheddar cheese (grated); 50 g cheddar cheese (grated, for the top)

TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE!

This baked macaroni cheese is creamy, cheesy, and comforting; but it doesn’t use cream, or a large amount of cheese. Instead it gets its richness from sweetcorn blended into the sauce.

When the weather outside has a chill to it, creamy pasta dishes such as this homemade macaroni and cheese are what I crave. Not only is this vegetarian pasta dish made from store cupboard ingredients, it is also budget friendly.

When we first moved to Canada, I remember two things from my first visit to a grocery store there: 1. the shelves packed with iconic blue boxes of Kraft Mac n cheese and 2. tins of creamed corn which I had never seen before, so I wanted to combined the two in this recipe. And this creamy, soft, cheesey pasta, is winter comfort food at its best. Perfect for a freezing cold Canadian winter; a milder Australian winter; and all other winters inbwetween!

Blending tinned or frozen sweetcorn into the sauce not only makes it sweet, rich and creamy without adding cream; it ‘hides’ the vegetable, making it a great dish for picky eaters.

Making cheese sauce from scratch can sound complicated, but it is actually simple and you only need 4 ingredients! The tip with making a smooth sauce is to add the milk a little at a time and whisk vigorously inbetween with a balloon whisk.

This mac and cheese recipe serves 4 as a main meal with nothing on the side; 6 when served with chicken or vegetables. You can easily halve the recipe to make enough for 2 people to enjoy too.

Tips:

Use block cheese and grate it yourself. The pre-grated/shredded cheese is coated with an anti caking agent and therefore won’t melt as well.
Cook your pasta slightly less than the packed states for al dente. You want your pasta to be soft but not mushy and overcooked.

Serving Ideas:

The beauty about this dish is that you don’t need to serve anything with it! Although I personally think you can’t beat a crisp salad with a hot creamy pasta dish. If you want to serve it as a side dish, alongside some roast chicken and steamed vegetables would make a delicious meal!

Do I have to bake this mac n cheese?

No, it tastes really good straight from the pan, although you can’t beat that golden crust of melted cheese on the top!

Make Ahead:

I wouldn’t recommend making this ahead of time, as the pasta absorbs the sauce when left to sit, meaning it would be dry rather than the sauce laden macaroni cheese you want!

However, you can cook the pasta up to 2 days ahead and then store, covered, in the fridge. You can also make the sweetcorn and cheese sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep, covered, in the fridge. When ready to make the macaroni and cheese, heat the sauce over a gentle heat thinning with a splash of milk if it seems to thick, then stir into the macaroni pasta, top with grated cheese and cook as below.

Can I freeze this macaroni cheese?

No, I wouldn’t recommend you freeze this dish. It will thicken as it sits and you lose the soft creamy texture. If you freeze it you could get water crystals in it they can make the mac n cheese seperate when you bake it.

Leftover Mac n Cheese:

If you have just a spoonful or two, mix with a spoonful of flour and beaten egg and make into muffins or fritters.
Or heat with a little milk in a small saucepan and put on top of toast then put under the grill with a little more cheese sprinkled on top for the ultimate carb meal!

If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy:

Tuna Cauliflower Pasta Bake

Cheese and Tomato Lasagna

Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)

Lentil Bolognese