Month #2 – Shabana takes on Mac & Cheese
It’s month two and Shabana shares a recipe she found on Instagram for a spruced up Mac & Cheese.
What are we making?: Kausloves Mac & Cheese
I wanted to give this Mac & Cheese recipe a go after seeing it posted on Instagram by an account I follow, Kausloves. It’s a veggie dish which is perfect for my pescatarian diet.
Screenshot taken from Kausloves post on Instragram
The recipe
Ingredients you will need:
250g pasta (dry weight)
60g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
750ml milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
250g Cheese (I used Gruyere & Cheddar)
1 heaped tbsp cream cheese
1/2 cup water
50g Panko breadcrumbs
More cheese for the topping
Basil (optional)
Method:
Make the roux with Butter & Flour
Cook for 1 minute on low heat
Add 1/3 of the milk and mix to avoid lumps
Add the rest in parts until fully combined
Add garlic powder, salt and pepper
Let the sauce simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes.
Meanwhile boil the pasta (I used elbow macaroni) for 2 minutes less than stated cooking time so that it is Al dente, mine took 5 minutes.
Add the cheeses to the sauce and turn the heat off. The cheese will melt with the residual heat and form a thick silky sauce. (I used Gruyere and mild cheddar, mozarella works great too)
Add the pasta to the sauce and mix (at this point it will seem like there is way too much sauce to pasta ratio – but don’t worry)
Add to an oven proof baking dish.
Top with more cheese and Panko bread crumbs.
Add dried basil or any herb you like
Bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 180C or 160C fan.
Let it rest for 10 minutes and then dig in 🙂
The verdict
Did it taste good?
Yes, really good. It’s very rich so I couldn’t eat lots of it but it’s a great dish if you’re a cheese lover.
Was it easy to make?
Yes, it wasn’t too difficult at all. The most difficult bit was probably making the sauce.
Would I change anything?
Yes, actually I’d use salted butter instead of unsalted.
Would I make it again?
Yes, I’d definitely make it again. It’s a perfect dish for sharing too. Also, it would be easy to add other ingredients in the dish as well, as long as they don’t release too much moisture as that could split your cheese sauce.
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