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Easy Macaroni Cheese

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This Easy Macaroni Cheese requires no making a white sauce (phew!) and delivers extra yumminess with a few lardons and mushrooms too.

Tweaked from a Gordon Ramsay recipe in a very old newspaper cutting from The Guardian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 400g (14oz) uncooked dried pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil + a little extra for drizzling
  • 300g (11oz) mushrooms, cut into chunky pieces
  • a few thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 200g (7oz)lardons
  • 75ml (3floz) white wine
  • 200ml (7floz) creme fraiche
  • 4 egg yolks
  • a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
  • 150g (5oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 150g (5oz) cheddar cheese, grated
  • 75g (3oz) fresh breadcrumbs
  • a 20cm x 30cm (8" x 12") ovenproof baking dish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F (gas mark 4).
  2. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water according to the packet instructions. Reserve at least 2 cups (500ml) of the starchy pasta water and drain the pasta.
  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and tip in the mushrooms and thyme. Season well. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  4. Add the lardons and the onion to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until the onions are soft and the lardons are browned.
  5. Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the wine. Increase the heat and let it bubble until reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat.
  6. Whisk the crème fraîche, egg yolks, parsley, half the Parmesan, all of the cheddar and 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of the reserved pasta water in a large bowl. If you prefer a runnier sauce with your pasta (or if you are preparing the dish ahead of time), you can always add a little extra pasta water at this stage. Season lightly and toss this mixture through the cooked pasta along with the mushroom mixture.
  7. Tip the mixture into a 20cm x 30cm (8" x 12") ovenproof baking dish. Combine the remaining Parmesan with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle this mixture over the pasta. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil over the topping.
  8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden and crunchy on the top.

Keywords: Comfort food, quick, easy, cosy

Find it online: https://marmaladeandme.com/easy-macaroni-cheese/