The manfriend makes the best mac & cheese, bar none. Now you can, too. (Okay technically it is cavatappi and cheese).
Ingredients
1 box of Macaroni or Cavatappi pasta (400g)
1 broccoli head, cut up into florets
8 small mushrooms, quartered
1 small to medium sized onion, chopped
4 cups milk
4 tbsp butter
¼ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp nutmeg
Generous dash of Sambal Oelek or other hot sauce (don’t be shy, it takes a lot to make this recipe spicy)
¼ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp nutmeg
Generous dash of Sambal Oelek or other hot sauce (don’t be shy, it takes a lot to make this recipe spicy)
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 red bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup Fontina, Edam or other strong tasting firm cheese, cubed
½ cup white bread crumbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare vegetables and cheeses.
2. Bring a 4 to 5 quart pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Steam the broccoli and mushrooms in a strainer over your pot; set aside once softened. Once the pasta is just tender - not overcooked - remove from heat, drain and set aside (it will soften more in the oven).
3. While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, sauté the chopped onion in a small skillet, then set aside.
4. Heat the milk almost to the boiling point in a small saucepan.
5. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. If you have a large casserole dish that can double as a saucepan or a large oven safe stock pot, you can use that instead of the conventional saucepan. This will leave you with one less thing to clean at the end.
6. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk over low heat. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, followed by the paprika and hot sauce. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens, whisking occasionally. Finally, whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and remove from heat. Mix in all the vegetables including the uncooked red pepper.
7. Add the pasta to the cheddar and veggie sauce. Finally add the cubed cheese and stir it as well as possible.
8. If you are using a separate casserole to bake the pasta, grease it with a 1 tbsp of butter before transferring the mixture. Needless to say this recipe requires a lot of room so the larger the casserole the better. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes. You can finally relax for a few minutes!
9. Shortly before removing the mac and cheese from the oven, sauté the bread crumbs over low heat until they are moistened but not browned.
10. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to broil; spread the bread crumbs evenly over the mac and cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and broil until the crumbs are crisp and browned (a couple of minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
1 red bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup Fontina, Edam or other strong tasting firm cheese, cubed
½ cup white bread crumbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare vegetables and cheeses.
2. Bring a 4 to 5 quart pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Steam the broccoli and mushrooms in a strainer over your pot; set aside once softened. Once the pasta is just tender - not overcooked - remove from heat, drain and set aside (it will soften more in the oven).
3. While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, sauté the chopped onion in a small skillet, then set aside.
4. Heat the milk almost to the boiling point in a small saucepan.
5. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. If you have a large casserole dish that can double as a saucepan or a large oven safe stock pot, you can use that instead of the conventional saucepan. This will leave you with one less thing to clean at the end.
6. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk over low heat. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, followed by the paprika and hot sauce. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens, whisking occasionally. Finally, whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and remove from heat. Mix in all the vegetables including the uncooked red pepper.
7. Add the pasta to the cheddar and veggie sauce. Finally add the cubed cheese and stir it as well as possible.
8. If you are using a separate casserole to bake the pasta, grease it with a 1 tbsp of butter before transferring the mixture. Needless to say this recipe requires a lot of room so the larger the casserole the better. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes. You can finally relax for a few minutes!
9. Shortly before removing the mac and cheese from the oven, sauté the bread crumbs over low heat until they are moistened but not browned.
10. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven. Raise the oven temperature to broil; spread the bread crumbs evenly over the mac and cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and broil until the crumbs are crisp and browned (a couple of minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
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