Stu's 'never fails' mac 'n' cheese recipe
Normally, uni student Stu, from our story, is a beans-on-toast kind of man. But now that (much to his family’s surprise) he’s bagged himself a girlfriend, Becky, signs of change are afoot. For their six-month anniversary, he’s decided to go all out and cook her favourite meal: mac ’n’ cheese. With some Stu-style touches (bacon, yessss!), and a little ambient candlelight, it’s the best mac ’n’ cheese she's ever had.
See method- Serves 4
- 5 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook
- 597 calories / serving
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 240g macaroni
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 150g mascarpone
- 250g fresh spinach or 250g frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
- 75g medium mature Cheddar
- 1 x 50g pack ready-to-eat cooked smoked bacon strips
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 2505kJ 597.0kcal
- Fat
- 31g
- Saturates
- 17g
- Salt
- 1.7g
- Sugars
- 13g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 58.0gProtein 24.0gFibre 7.0g
Method
- Preheat the grill to high. In a pan set over a medium heat, heat the oil. Once hot but not smoking, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni for 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato purée and tomatoes to the onions and cook for 7-8 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from the heat and then stir through the mascarpone and spinach. Season to taste.
- Drain the cooked macaroni, add to the sauce and transfer to an ovenproof dish. Grate over the cheese and cook under the hot grill for 3-4 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from the grill and evenly crumble over the bacon strips before serving.
- Little help: For baked pasta dishes like this, boil the pasta for slightly less time than usual.
- Leftovers:
Add a tablespoon or two of leftover mascarpone to scrambled eggs to make them extra rich, or serve with crumble or fruit salad.
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.