Macaroni Cheese: Easy Recipe for a Family Dinner

The other day, my eldest son was supposed to make macaroni cheese in his food tech lesson. According to his version of events, the teacher told him to just throw all the ingredients together in a pan. The result was raw pasta and a coagulated burnt mixture at the bottom of the pan.

I decided to teach him how to do it properly myself, making a rue for a cheese sauce and the order in which you add the ingredients. In my opinion, it is important to get children involved in cooking as it is an important life skill for them to learn. I suppose there are many variations on how to make macaroni cheese, but this is how I have taught my son to make it using just pasta and a basic cheese sauce. Here is a simple recipe for macaroni cheese for all the family to enjoy.

Macaroni Cheese: Easy Recipe for a Family Dinner

Recipe by Liz FlynnCourse: Pasta dishesCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Vegetarian

YES

Vegan

NO

Gluten-free

NO

Dairy-free

NO

An easy recipe for macaroni cheese that is easy to make and all the family will enjoy.

Ingredients for the Macaroni Cheese

• 18 oz/ 500 g dried pasta (macaroni or a similar variety of pasta)

• 1 oz/ 25 g butter

• 1 oz/ 25 g plain flour

• 3 oz/ 80 g cheese for the sauce

• 2 oz/ 50g cheese for the topping

• 600 ml/ 1-pint milk

• 2 tsp English mustard (optional)

• White pepper and salt

Directions: How to Make Macaroni Cheese

• Measure your ingredients first and preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 4.
• Cook the pasta in a saucepan according to pack instructions. I would remove a few minutes from the cooking time so it is al dente, as the pasta will continue to cook in the cheese sauce. 
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over low heat. 
• Sieve the flour into the melted butter and stir.
• Cook for two minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk a little at a time, continuously stirring until you have created a smooth sauce.
• Season with the salt and white pepper, add the mustard (optional), and stir through.
• Simmer gently over low heat for approximately eight minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese.
• Drain the pasta when cooked and transfer to either a large ovenproof dish or individual ovenproof dishes.
• Using a ladle, spoon over the cheese sauce evenly.
• Sprinkle your remaining cheese over the top of the dishes. 
• Transfer to the oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.
• If you have cooked one large macaroni cheese, spoon onto plates. If you have cooked individual portions, transfer the individual bowls to plates. 
• Serve with salad, vegetables, or garlic bread.

Additional Tips

• Omit the mustard if you do not like it or you have an allergy.
• Experiment with different varieties of cheese.
• Try adding some ham to this dish to make ham and cheese macaroni.

What Is Macaroni?

Macaroni is a small pasta variety. It is similar to penne pasta but smaller. Sometimes, the macaroni has a curved shape, but it is usually straight. Can you make macaroni yourself? You can make your own macaroni using a basic pasta dough recipe. Roll out the dough and wrap it around a skewer before cutting it into small pieces. However, it is quicker and easier to use packets of dried macaroni if you are making a quick and tasty tea for the family.

If You Enjoy the Macaroni Cheese Recipe…

You might also like to try some of our other pasta recipes. These include tagliatelle with salmon and broccoli or chicken, chorizo, and tomato pasta bake.

Have you tried our recipe for macaroni cheese? Let us know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below.