D'Open Kitchen

COOKING FOR THE SOUL

Mac and Cheese Bake

Name: Mac and Cheese Bake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300 grams Macaroni Pasta; 2 cup Half and Half; 2 tbsp Butter (salted preferred); 2 tbsp Flour; 300 grams Sharp Cheese; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black Pepper; 1 tsp Italian Herbs; 1/2 cup Parmesan

Recipe by

Trish yee

Cheesey comfort food. Need i say more? This is a posh-er version which couple of different cheeses, extra spices and some caramelised onions for extra flavour.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings portions

Calories 310 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

300 grams Macaroni Pasta
2 cup Half and Half
2 tbsp Butter salted preferred
2 tbsp Flour
300 grams Sharp Cheese
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 cup Parmesan

Instructions

Cook the macaroni to 'al dente'. Do not overcook it else, the dish will become soggy.
Make a roux by melting the butter then addition the flour to make a paste in a appropriate pan on medium heat.
Then add milk while whisking until you get a creamy sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper and some herbs.
Add in a handful of your shredded cheese to slightly thicken. Add your macaroni and stir through turning the heat off.
Remove macaroni mix to a baking tray and top off with cheese. Bake for 10 - 15mins at 180c or until cheese is golden.

Notes

Pasta - Make to cook the pasta in with (100gm to 1lt water ratio) plenty of water. Make sure its well salted - no oil required.
Roux - Make sure to cook out the roux; unless you want the entire dish tasting like raw flour. How to test you say? Just take a little bit out of the pan and taste it (blow on it first - it might be lava hot)
Caramelising Onions and Garlic - Slowly do it. Don't overheat the mixture, this will certainly burn the garlic which contains a lot of natural sugars.
Seasoning & Other ingredients - Venture out and add different types of spices or herb combinations. Crushed fennel seeds with oregano or cumin and smoked paprika with coriander.
Other ingredients like - bacon chips, sausage ragu, roasted zucchinis or beets can be incorporated - though certainly no longer traditional!
Overseasoning - One big thing to note that your bechamel (before you add in the cheese) should heavily seasoned. This is simply because pasta does not have alot of flavour. Therefore your sauce should taste really strong for the dish to work. But if you're putting in other strong flavours like bacon; you should tame your bechamel

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal

Keyword pasta

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Trish yee

I was a runner up in Singapore's Masterchef Competition Season 2. Cooking has been a passion of mine since I was young. I would always follow my grandma to the wet markets to buy groceries and watch her whip up amazing dishes. Always inspired by my grandma, I look to continue her journey in the culinary world.