International dishesNoodlesEurope and North AmericaAbout 45 minutes
Baked mac and cheese with a breadcrumb topping is loved for its two opposing layers, a crisp top over soft pasta sitting in cheese sauce. The sauce is the difficult part, since milk poured in too fast leaves it grainy and split.
Melted butter is whisked smooth with flour, then the milk goes in slowly with constant stirring until the mixture thickens, and only then does the cheese follow.
This batch weighs about 1.4kg, at roughly 274 calories per 100g.
Method
Boil 500g macaroni in lightly salted water until just tender, stopping short of soft. Drain it well.
Set a pot over medium heat, melt 50g unsalted butter, add 50g all purpose flour, and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Pour in 500ml unsweetened oat milk slowly, stirring as you go, until the mixture thickens.
Add 300g finely grated cheese and stir until it has melted completely and the sauce is smooth.
Fold the macaroni through the sauce so every piece is coated, then season with salt and ground black pepper.
Tip the mixture into a lightly buttered baking dish and scatter a thin layer of breadcrumbs over the top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.
Rest for about 5 minutes, then cut and serve hot.
Tips
Boil the macaroni just short of tender, as it carries on cooking in the oven.
Adding the oat milk in stages with constant stirring is what makes the sauce smooth.
Oat milk gives a slightly thinner sauce, so cook it 1 to 2 minutes longer to bring it back.
Two parts shredded mozzarella to one part cheddar, 300g in total, gives both the pull and the flavor.
Homemade breadcrumbs are simply dried sandwich bread blitzed in a blender.
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