Comfort Food Friday: Make your own cheesy pasta and you’ll never buy it in again

By Brian Stormont

November 27 2020, 9:08 am

When you want comfort, melted cheese ticks all the boxes. Why not try this really simple cheesy pasta dish which is a joy to eat.

When it comes to comfort food, anything involving pasta and cheese is always going to be near the top of the list.

In fact, respondents in a recent survey of 3,800 Brits by online cake shop Jack and Beyond put the dish at the top of their top 20 comfort foods.

It certainly wasn’t a case of “no carbs till Marbs” as a whopping 71% of people named cheesy pasta as their number one.

And despite the fact that macaroni cheese or cheesy pasta recipes are really easy to make, way too many of us buy them in packets or boxes.

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious. Find more of our Comfort Food Friday recipes here.

Easy Cheesy pasta

(Serves 2)

280g of any dry pasta – I personally like to use macaroni or penne as I think it works best
25g butter
2 tbsp flour
300g milk
Salt and pepper to taste
150g mature cheddar
1 tsp mustard

Bring a kettle to the boil and bring your pasta to the boil then turn down to simmer and cook to the packet instructions.
In a non-stick saucepan, melt your butter with your flour to make a roux. Cook for a couple of minutes and then, while whisking with a balloon whisk, add your milk. Some recipes say to add it bit by bit, but if your roux is smooth then you will not get any lumps so chuck it all in to make a béchamel sauce.
Continue to stir the béchamel until it thickens slightly, then add the mustard and half of your cheese.
By this time your pasta will be cooked so drain it and combine with the sauce.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cook under a medium grill for about five minutes.

Add some cooked broccoli or smoky bacon to the sauce and breadcrumbs to the topping to take the recipe up a level.