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Home / Eat Well / Recipes

Winter comfort meals: Mac and 3 cheese

for 6-8 people
By Lucy Lord

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Lucy Lord's cookbook Cook for the Soul is all about delicious comfort. And this mac n cheese recipe is comfort at its best, she says. "I've used three different types of cheese here to add lots of flavour. A touch of Dijon mustard adds a subtle but fiery kick and the grilled breadcrumb topping adds a deliciously golden crunch to the creamy, cheesy filling underneath."

Ingredients

600gelbow macaroni pasta
120gbutter, plus 2 Tbsp
2 cloves garlic, very finely choppedgarlic, very finely chopped
90gplain flour
1Lwhole milk
2 TbspDijon mustard
400gstrong cheddar cheese, grated
200ggruyère cheese, grated
120gparmesan cheese, grated
120gpanko breadcrumbs
To tastesalt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnishchopped parsley
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Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and grease a large ovenproof dish (mine was 33 x 23cm).
  2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than stated on the packet. Drain, then drizzle and toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking together.
  3. Melt the 120g butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and stir for about a minute until aromatic. Add the flour and gently combine with a balloon whisk until the mixture looks like wet sand. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking all the time, then gradually pour in the milk, whisking until you have a smooth sauce. Simmer for 5–7 minutes (keep whisking) until thick and velvety, similar to condensed milk. Remove from the heat, stir through the mustard and season.
  4. Stir through two-thirds of the grated cheeses, adding a handful at a time and stirring to mix together. Tip the drained, cooked pasta into the saucepan (or mix both in a large bowl), season with salt and pepper to taste and then pour the pasta mix into the greased baking dish.
  5. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the breadcrumbs, stirring to coat. Cook for a couple of minutes until golden and crisp.
  6. Scatter the remaining cheese over the pasta mix, followed by the breadcrumbs. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and crisp. I like to put this under a very hot grill for the last few minutes, so that the top of the macaroni has a golden, crunchy crust. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving, scattered with parsley.

Notes

• This can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before baking.

• Use any cheeses you love or stick to one or two types.

• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Extracted from Cook for the Soul by Lucy Lord (HarperCollins, RRP $37.99). Photography by Martin Poole.

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