Everyone loves this classic pasta dish. Take this easy and cheesy macaroni and cheese dish to the next level by adding a crunchy, golden brown breadcrumb topping. And the beauty of it all? You probably have all the ingredients on hand already.
Not many dishes beat macaroni and cheese when it comes to quick and easy comfort food. As this old-school classic is very versatile, feel free to experiment with a combination of gruyere and white cheddar to treat your taste buds to a deliciously bold and creamy cheesy flavour.
Gruyere is excellent for melting into sauces, but lacks sharpness and tang. And this is where the white cheddar comes in!
Apart from the crispy breadcrumb topping and experimentation with different cheeses, there are a host of variations one could play around with.
Add vegetables:
- Sautéed onions and peppers
- Peas
- Diced carrots
- Mushrooms
Add some protein:
- Bacon
- Ham
- Pre-cooked chicken
Add some spice:
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoke paprika
- Chilli powder
Serve your macaroni and cheese with a leafy green salad.
For added convenience, this recipe may easily be doubled and it freezes well.
CHEF’S TIP
- If your breadcrumbs start to get too dark while your macaroni and cheese is still baking in the oven, cover it with foil and continue baking.
Ingredients
- 1500 grams macaroni, cooked
- 2 chopped onions
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 100 ml cream cheese
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp mixed herbs
- ½ tsp origanum
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups grated cheese
- 2 slices of white bread, toasted and cooled
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat the butter
- Fry the onions until soft and then add tomato
- Add the garlic
- Fry a few minutes longer
- Season with sugar, salt and mixed herbs
- In a greased oven dish, combine the cooked macaroni with the onion mix
- In a saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter
- Add the flour and mix until a smooth paste
- Add the milk in small amounts at a time until you have a thick white sauce
- Stir constantly to prevent lumps and burning
- Add one cup of grated cheese
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Mix the cheese sauce with the cooked macaroni
- Grate the two slices of toast to form crumbs
- Mix 1 cup of grated cheese with the crumbs
- Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni
- Garnish with fresh slices of tomato and origanum
- Bake at a moderate temperature oven until evenly browned
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