The humble macaroni cheese is on most people’s list of comfort foods, the recipes they head to when they need a warm hug from a meal. For many, cheese and pasta are a match made in heaven and it’s no surprise that the dish can be bought ready-made at leading supermarkets and suppliers of frozen meals and they’re good. Charlie Bigham and Cook are among our favourites if we don’t have time to make it ourselves.
Mac and cheese is a dish that appeals to all ages, young and old and it is easy to make so for a change, why not cook your own and by choosing one of the carefully selected recipes below, you can add some extra pizzazz to your meal. Push the boat out and add some new ingredients and flavours to surprise your family. What about choosing a different cheese or several or how about adding a spoonful of Marmite or a dash of truffle? There are truly no limits to what you can put in mac’n’cheese so sit back and take inspiration from our findings in our search to find the best mac and cheese recipe.
History of Mac & Cheese
Where did it all begin? Macaroni is one of the earliest forms of pasta to be developed and in Italy, the pasta has over the centuries been cooked with different sauces according to various regional preferences.
The combination of cheese and pasta first appeared in an Italian cookbook, Liber de Coquina, in the 14th century. By the 19th century, the English cooked it as a sweet dish but fortunately that habit seems to have died out. In 1845, British cook, Eliza Acton, gave strict instructions on how to cook macaroni as a savoury dish using both English cheese and Parmesan as she felt that was the best combination. Mac'n'cheese reached the States via Thomas Jefferson and his slave James Hemmings, who first came across the dish in Paris in the late 18th century.
The Virginia House-Wife by Mary Randolph was published in 1824 and included a recipe for macaroni cheese which was eventually to become one of the US's most favourite and loved meals.
Fast forward to today and mac and cheese is as popular as ever, with celebrity chefs turning their hands to it working out the best recipes ever. It’s served in some of the smartest restaurants in the land but honestly, the joy is in the making of a dish like this. As with all food preparation, cook with the best ingredients you can. Choose a quality pasta and artisan made cheese if you can get to a deli. It’s worth it. Now the next step is to choose which recipe to go for. Are you going to be extravagant and go for lobster or truffle or stick with the more traditional? We’ve got all bases covered with our selection of delicious recipes.
Don’t forget to serve your mac and cheese in a warming bowl. See our pick of pasta bowls
Our top mac & cheese recipe recommendations
Slow cooker mac & cheese
From Sprouted Kitchen
You don’t need to make a bechamel sauce with this recipe. You simply throw in all the ingredients into a slower cooker and switch it on. You'll need to stir it after an hour and then cook for a further thirty minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. And just think of all the electricity you’ll be saving by using a slow cooker. For more recipes, click here.
Three cheese mac
From Taste of Home
The best combination of cheeses is Cheddar, Gruyere and Parmesan. If you can’t find Gruyere, Gouda is a good substitute. Don’t forget to add nutmeg to the cheese sauce: these are all the little touches you need to use to make your best-ever baked mac and cheese.
Italian mac & cheese
From Jo Cooks
Veering away from the traditional macaroni pasta, this cook prefers to use penne pasta which is smothered in a cheese sauce made with mozzarella, Italian seasoning (a blend of dried oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme and marjoram) and freshly grated Parmesan. Make sure you buy mozzarella that can be grated although loosely chopped would work.
One pot mac and cheese
From Taming Twins
If you’re in a hurry to cook supper for your family, this recipe is a godsend as it takes just fifteen minutes to cook. It’s cooked in one pan and Sarah Rossi recommends you use a non-stick saucepan to make like easier. The pasta is cooked first and then the cheesy ingredients added to the mixture, all of which creates a creamy sauce with no faff.
Instant pot mac & cheese
From Donna Hay
This simple mac and cheese recipe is even too simple for words. Watch Donna Hay’s video on Instagram and you’ll see how easy it is to make this nourishing dish in an instant. Put all the ingredients in a lined bowl, bake for thirty minutes and stir. Donna says the sauce will be a bit runny to begin with but just stir and leave for thirty seconds and it will thicken. No saucepans or kitchen paraphernalia to wash up, just instant goodness in a bowl.
French onion mac & cheese
From NY times
Combining the best of France and Italy, this recipe blends two classics into one. Frenchi online mac and cheese. Made with caramelised onions, a rich cheese sauce enveloping the macaroni pasta and topped with croutons with Gruyere, which are added in the last few minutes of cooking. It doesn’t get much richer than this.
Mac & cheese bombs
From Delish
We would cook this recipe using mac and cheese leftovers. They’re a bit like arancini but made with pasta and make a nourishing snack. Pasta balls are dipped into flour and then a mixture of egg and milk, before dredging in breadcrumbs. This ensures that the balls stay together when they’re being fried. You could always use a ready-made mac and cheese for this to make life simple.
Bacon mac & cheese with leeks
From Ainsley Harriott
We wanted to give you a recipe so you could try out our drink recommendation that goes well with this version (see below) and Ainsley Harriott’s is the one to go for. Leek and bacon is a classic combo and it works brilliantly with the cheese sauce.
Keto mac & cheese
From Keto mac & cheese
If you're following a keto diet, pasta is off the menu but don’t fret as this recipe offers a tasty alternative. The bulk comes from roasted cauliflower florets which is then boosted with a super rich cheese sauce. Delish recommends adding a pork rind topping which adds both crunch and saltiness.
Cauliflower mac & cheese
From Jamie Oliver
This is a Christmas special for Jamie Oliver and his family but we say you don’t need to reserve this recipe for the festive season. Serve it any time of the year, it really is the most delicious mac ’n’ cauliflower cheese with fresh thyme, nutmeg and Red Leicester. Jamie suggests you can also use some blue cheese to ring the changes and he says it reheats very well.
Marmite mac & cheese
Frob BBC Good Food
BBC Good Food terms this recipe ‘next level’, and we agree but for some marmite gets the big thumbs down. This recipe calls for one tablespoon of yeast extract and it’s added to a silky rich cheese sauce made with both milk and evaporated milk, all topped with crunchy white and panko breadcrumbs.
Lobster mac & cheese
From Food Network
If you’ve got something special to celebrate, a gourmet mac and cheese can be the solution. This recipe for lobster mac and cheese is the level we’re aspiring to. It might seem indulgent to serve lobster alongside a humble macaroni cheese but it really works. In an ideal world, buy your lobster ready cooked. We’re not keen on Ina Garten’s, the recipe’s creator, use of goat’s cheese and you could revert to the more traditional combination of Parmesan, Cheddar and Gruyere.
Truffle mac & cheese
From SBS
Served in the best restaurants, this luxury macaroni cheese can be enjoyed at home as well. You just need to make sure you’ve got the right ingredients. We turn to Heston Blumenthal when we want to cook something out of the ordinary and this recipe for truffle mac and cheese is the business. You would of course expect Heston to be different and he suggests serving your mac and cheese in a hollowed-out rind of cheese. The logistics of this aren’t easy and you might find yourself eating through pounds and pounds of cheese in order to get your centrepiece but if you want to push the boat out, we say go for it. If you can get your hands on some white truffle, you could add some fine shavings just before serving.
Vegan mac and cheese
From Stylist
When you want to cut back on dairy and are following a more plant-based diet, try this recipe for a healthy vegan mac and cheese by Ella Mills of Deliciously Ella. It’s full of flavour and meets our requirements to be in our top twelve recipes. The sauce is made from nutritional yeast and the almond milk adds a nutty, cheesy flavour. Ella cleverly adds tomatoes which brings a whole new level of taste sensations and freshness.
What toppings work well with mac and cheese
Don’t forget that sometimes it’s fun to add some toasted breadcrumbs to the top of your mac and cheese. This could be toasted crumbs with olive oil and chopped parsley or you could also add little cubes of bacon for a salty sensation. We might get murdered here, but if you’ve got half a bag of crisps or some cheese crackers that need using up, you can always bash them up and sprinkle over the top of the pasta. They’ll brown and crunch up well.
What sides to serve with mac and cheese
A big green salad with a clean vinaigrette (you could use basil or mustard) is really the best as it’s cleansing and not filling. Roasted tomatoes with torn basil leaves add a nice contrast and cuts through the richness of the sauce. Broccoli adds a bit of crunch and the vivid shot of green looks amazing on the plate.
What wine to serve with mac and cheese
You’ve made a delicious supper and you now have the quandary of which wine to serve with it. When asking questions like this, we always head to Matching Food & Wine, where Fiona Beckett shares her expertise. Fiona recommends a white always works best, a crisp light white if your mac’n’cheese is simple and then the fancier the ingredients get, opt for a white burgundy. If you’ve put leeks in your dish, Fiona suggests a dry cider which sounds very interesting. To find out more, visit Fiona Beckett’s website by clicking here.
Summary
We’ve given you the recipes and now it’s your turn to try one of these mac and cheese recipes with a twist. Cook something different this week for your family. These homemade mac and cheese recipes are delicious and who knew there were so many ways to prepare it. Mac and cheese is food that soothes the soul.
March 2023
By Team GWG
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