Best mac and cheese recipe | Easy recipe guide | Jamie Oliver (2024)

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A killer mac 'n' cheese

With sweet tomatoes & a beautiful crunchy topping

  • Vegetarianv

Best mac and cheese recipe | Easy recipe guide | Jamie Oliver (2)

With sweet tomatoes & a beautiful crunchy topping

“Proper American-style mac and cheese – beautifully gooey and full-on, in-yer-face cheesy! Mac ’n’ cheese’ is a classic American pasta dish – everyone loves it. Sometimes it’s done so badly in the convenience area, it’s almost become famous for being horrible, but when you do it properly, trust me, it’s an absolute killer. Feel free to use any tubular pasta you want. I’ve made this dish my own by lightening it with sweet tomatoes and giving it some crunch with delicious breadcrumbs. Just you wait till you try it! This dish isn’t going to win any prizes in the nutrition department, but you can, and should, balance it with a nice salad. If you only have it once in a while as a special treat, it’ll do you no harm. ”

Serves 8

Cooks In1 hour

DifficultyNot too tricky

Jamie's AmericaAmericanMainsBaking

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 581 29%

  • Fat 20.8g 30%

  • Saturates 11.2g 56%

  • Sugars 10.8g 12%

  • Salt 1.3g 22%

  • Protein 25.3g 51%

  • Carbs 78.5g 30%

  • Fibre 3.8g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie's America

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • Metric
  • Germany

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  • 10 cloves of garlic
  • 45 g butter
  • 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 litre semi-skimmed milk
  • 600 g dried macaroni
  • 8 tomatoes
  • 150 g Cheddar cheese
  • 100 g Parmesan cheese
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • OPTIONAL
  • 2 splashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • OPTIONAL
  • 1 whole nutmeg , for grating
  • 3 big handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
  • olive oil

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Recipe From

Jamie's America

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Peel and finely slice the garlic.
  2. Get a large pan of salted water on the boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux.
  3. Add all the sliced garlic – don’t worry about the amount because each slice will caramelise like toffee in the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky.
  4. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally.
  5. Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
  6. Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with sea salt and black pepper. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan.
  7. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, chopped tomatoes and pick in half of the thyme leaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a little grating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it’s hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.
  8. If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious.
  9. While it’s cooking, put your breadcrumbs and the rest of the the thyme leaves into a pan with a few drizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs around until crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nice bowl.
  10. Serve your macaroni cheese in the centre of the table, with your bowl of crispy breadcrumbs for sprinkling over, and a lovely green salad.

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Recipe From

Jamie's America

By Jamie Oliver

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Best mac and cheese recipe | Easy recipe guide | Jamie Oliver (2024)

FAQs

How does Gordon Ramsay make the best mac and cheese? ›

Preparation
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the pasta and milk. ...
  2. Once the pasta is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. ...
  3. Divide between serving bowls and top with the bread crumbs.
  4. Enjoy!
  5. All your favorite recipes, stored in one place.
May 4, 2023

What are the 3 best cheeses for mac and cheese? ›

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

What not to do when making mac and cheese? ›

The 5 Biggest Mac & Cheese Mistakes
  1. Using Only Cheddar cheese.
  2. Not Adding Spice and Seasoning with Salt.
  3. Choosing the Wrong Pasta. There's a reason why elbow macaroni is the classic shape for macaroni and cheese. ...
  4. Overcooking. No one wants grainy cheese sauce and mushy pasta. ...
  5. Skimping on the Toppings.
May 21, 2020

What does Gordon Ramsay put in his mac and cheese? ›

Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese is a simplified recipe. Just boil pasta in milk and then, add butter, cheese, salt, and pepper to it. Merge all the elements and Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese will be ready in no time.

What is the most flavorful cheese for mac and cheese? ›

The Best Types of Cheese
  • Sharp Cheddar. The king of all cheeses when it comes to coating your noodles. ...
  • Gouda. Gouda is a seriously underrated cheese when it comes to cooking! ...
  • Gruyère. Despite it being a hard cheese, Gruyère still melts nicely. ...
  • Cream Cheese. ...
  • Brie. ...
  • Goat Cheese. ...
  • Parmesan. ...
  • Anything pre-shredded.
Mar 14, 2023

What cheeses are not to use for mac and cheese? ›

Feta, queso fresco and paneer

As delicious as feta is in a salad or sprinkled over soup, this dry and crumbly cheese just isn't ideal for mac and cheese. Feta has a high moisture level and doesn't melt properly, so it would clump rather than give you a smooth sauce.

What kind of milk is best for mac and cheese? ›

Milk: Keeps our cheese sauce super creamy. I use whole milk or reduced-fat milk. Mustard and spices: A combination of Dijon mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt makes this macaroni and cheese extra delicious. Cheese: I use white cheddar and parmesan or pecorino cheese.

What is the best melting cheese for mac and cheese? ›

  • Monterey Jack is perhaps the ultimate melting cheese.
  • Fontina is a crowd-pleasing melter that was born to pair with pasta.
  • Baby swiss has a natural creaminess that is perfect for mac & cheese.
  • Mozzarella is the classic melter pairs well with any pasta.

Why is my homemade mac and cheese not creamy? ›

Pro Tip: Don't use pre-shredded cheese. Many store-bought shredded cheese brands coat their cheese with an anti-caking agent than can make sauces grainy and less creamy. While it requires a bit of an arm workout, grating your own yields the best texture.

Can I use sour cream instead of milk for mac and cheese? ›

I think sour cream is a great substitute! However, it may change the flavor just slightly. For sour cream, mix it in just like I outlined in the cream cheese example, but with far less or no extra liquid. Sour cream is slightly sour (duh), so this may impact the final flavor a bit.

What can I add to mac and cheese to make it taste better? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Your Macaroni and Cheese Dinners
  1. Add extra cheese to your dish.
  2. Mix in some hot sauce and chicken to make buffalo chicken mac n' cheese.
  3. Add in vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.
  4. Sprinkle some bacon bits or breadcrumbs on the top of your dish.
  5. Add spices and fresh herbs to your dish.
May 21, 2022

Why does my homemade mac and cheese taste bland? ›

Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it. If the problem was the cheese you use doesn't have much flavor, then try adding some other flavors, such has mustard or hot sauce. The next time you make it, try to find some more strongly flavor cheese, or adding more cheese.

Should you rinse pasta for mac and cheese? ›

To summarize, rinsing your cooked pasta would be detrimental to your final dish because that excess starch is instrumental in providing some structure and flavor to the pasta sauce that you're creating. In fact, that's the logic behind using pasta water instead of plain tap water in a pasta sauce.

What makes mac and cheese taste so good? ›

1. It takes two cheeses to tango with mac. For really great macaroni and cheese, you need a cheese that melts well and a cheese that packs a punch. A few cheeses do both (that's a shout out to you, cheddar, emmentaler, and your other alpine-style, fondue favorites).

Which franchise has the best mac and cheese? ›

Chick-fil-A

Baking the mac and cheese imparts next-level texture in every bite. You'll find perfectly cooked noodles in a blanket of decadent sauce and you can look forward to bites of crispy topping here and there throughout the bowl. In fact, the chain prides itself on broiling the mac and cheese prior to serving.

What are the top 7 cheeses to use in mac and cheese? ›

7 Best Cheeses for Macaroni and Cheese
  • Cheddar. Cheddar is a staple for countless recipes. ...
  • Parmesan. Parmesan is a salty cheese with complex flavors. ...
  • Gruyere. Update your mac and cheese recipes to something more mature with Gruyere. ...
  • Brie. ...
  • Smoked Gouda. ...
  • Monterey Jack. ...
  • Fontina. ...
  • Sausage Mac and Cheese.

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