Jason makes the sauce on the stove, a plain butter-and-flour base loosened with milk, then folds in cheddar and pasta that is still a minute shy of done. The oven finishes the pasta and browns the crumbs.
The sauce should look a little loose in the pot. It thickens in the dish. If it is already stiff, the baked pasta will be dry.
Ingredients
- 300 g short macaroni or other short pasta
- 40 g butter, plus 1 tablespoon for the crumbs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 700 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard, optional
- 280 g grated cheddar, or a mix of cheddar and a milder cheese
- 40 g dry breadcrumbs
Steps
- Heat the oven to 190 C (375 F). Boil the pasta in salted water until it is one minute short of the package time. Drain it.
- In a wide pot, melt 40 g butter. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the milk a little at a time until the sauce is smooth. Simmer, stirring, until it thickens enough to coat the spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the salt, pepper, mustard if you are using it, and most of the cheese. Leave a small handful of cheese for the top. Fold in the pasta. The sauce should still move when you tilt the pot.
- Scrape it into a baking dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining tablespoon of butter and the last of the cheese. Scatter that over the top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the crumbs are golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Jason’s tip: Undercook the pasta on purpose. It spends another twenty minutes in the sauce, and fully cooked pasta goes soft at the edges of the dish.
This is a home recipe, not medical or nutrition advice. Check allergens, and see the food-safety note for safe cooking temperatures.
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Allergens in this recipe: This bake uses wheat pasta, milk, and cheese. It contains gluten and milk. Breadcrumbs on top are also wheat. This is home-cooking information, not medical advice. See the food-safety note.