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Yvonne's Ultimate Macaroni Cheese
Scroll down to find out how you can make Yvonne's comforting macaroni cheese with a side of homemade garlic bread!
Ingredients (Serves 4-6 people):
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Cauliflower Mac n Cheese:
- 500g Wholemeal macaroni pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1-2 pints of milk
- 250g Red Leicester cheese, grated
- 100g Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced
- 1 small cauliflower, chopped into florets
Crispy Breadcrumb Topping:
- 2-3 slices of (frozen) bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
- (Optional) Crushed tortilla chips
Homemade Garlic Bread:
- 6 slices of bread
- 6 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- â…› teaspoon sea salt
Method:
For the Macaroni Cheese:
- Boil the macaroni pasta in a large pan and set aside about ½ an inch of the pasta water to be used later.
- To blanch the cauliflower, bring a pan of water to the boil. Prepare a bowl of iced water and a tray / plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Cut your cauliflower into little florets and place them in the boiling water to blanch for roughly 2 minutes, depending on the size – remember to use the stem too!
- Remove the florets with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the bowl of iced water.
- Then, place on the tray / plate lined with kitchen paper to drain excess water so that they’re ready to add into your macaroni mixture.
- In a medium cooking pan, add two large knobs of butter. Melt it, then add 2 heaped tbsp of cornflour. Mix together quickly with a wooden spoon or whisk.
- Then slowly add 1-2 pints milk in the pan.
- Keep on stirring / whisking until creamy. Add your reserved pasta water at this stage.
- Grate Red Leicester cheese (250g), and Mozzarella cheese (100g). Add into your sauce and leave some reserved for cheese toppings.
- Mix the cheese sauce and the cooked drained macaroni pasta together, along with your cauliflower florets.
- Slice 3 large ripe tomatoes into thin slices and assemble them flat on top of the macaroni cheese.
For the (Optional!) Crispy Breadcrumb topping:
- Blend 2 or 3 slices of bread (frozen bread works great!) into breadcrumbs.
- You could also use crushed tortilla crisps on top too.
- Sprinkle on top of the macaroni cheese with reserved cheese topping too for an extra crunch.
- Bake the finished dish in the oven for 10 minutes on 180 degrees, or if you're reheating a ready-made version from then fridge, pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Alternatively, if you want to bake it in the air-fryer, just halve the cooking time!
For the Homemade Garlic Bread:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, ensuring the top rack is not too close to the ceiling.
- Mix the softened butter, chopped parsley and crushed garlic cloves together.
- Spread the mixture on both sides of each piece of sliced bread.
- Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and broil; flip after 3 minutes or until evenly toasted.
- Slice and serve (or serve whole!).
Yvonne’s Top Tips:
- You can bake the cauliflower florets on a large baking tray instead of blanching. Sprinkle with seasoning of your choice (I'd recommend sweet paprika), bake for about 20 minutes, and then add them into your cooked macaroni mixture.
- If your cheese sauce is too thick, add more milk. If it is too watery, mix cornflour with a little bit of water then add into the pan.
- You could add broccoli to this dish for extra veg, pulled pork for protein, and a dash of chilli sauce / chilli flakes if you like it spicy!
- You could add mustard into the cheese sauce.
- If you can't wait, there's no need to bake or air-fry your macaroni cheese. Just add your breadcrumb topping and dig in!
- If you want to make the garlic bread in the air fryer, just pop them in the drawer for about 1 and a half minutes before checking and flipping.