This recipe makes 4 servings as a side dish.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
    Pasta:
  • 150 g elbow macaroni (or 1 cup)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Mornay Sauce:
  • 30 g unsalted butter (or 1/4 stick)
  • 20 g flour (or 2 tbsp)
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
  • 400 ml warm milk (or 1 2/3 cup)
  • 100 g smoked cheddar, fresh grated (or 1/2 cup)
  • 50g g mozarella, fresh grated (or 1/4 cup)
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • Toppings:
  • 50 g mozzarella, fresh grated (or 1/4 cup)
  • chives, finely chopped
  • fresh ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta as per packaging instructions less 1 minute. Drain. Toss in the olive oil. Set aside.
  2. Make the sauce:
  3. Preheat oven to 200C. In a sauce pot over medium flame, melt butter. When butter starts to froth, add flour and nutmeg then whisk until it forms a paste. Keep whisking for 3 minutes to cook out flour.
  4. Slowly add milk while whisking to avoid lumps. Keep whisking until your bechamel is smooth and thick. Turn down the heat to avoid burning.
  5. Take pot off the heat. Add cheeses, stir with a wooden spoon until cheese melts. Fold in elbow macaroni. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Assemble your macaroni & cheese:
  7. Take tray out and grind a few turns of black pepper and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve.
Recipe Notes

  1. Always use fresh grated cheese, the packed grated cheese have anti-caking agents and would not result in the same smooth, lump-free sauce.
  2. Replace chives with parsley or if you have no herbs available, just skip it, it's only a garnish.
  3. I always boil pasta in salty water. As in the water should taste salty not just add a teaspoon of salt to your pot, this results in better tasting pasta!
  4. Use warm to hot milk but do not burn your milk.