Serves 5, 5 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking
This melt in the mouth Leek and Macaroni Cheese Bake takes just minutes to prepare before popping it in the oven to produce a piping hot dish that everyone around your dinner table will love. Serve with a simple salad and some crispy garlic bread for a great British-Italian themed meal.
Ingredients
- 500g Macaroni – if you don’t have macaroni any pasta shape will work just as well
- 1.25ltr milk
- 185g butter
- 185g flour
- 200g cheddar cheese
- 200g leeks
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 190˚C.
- Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil then cook the macaroni according to the packet’s instructions.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, add the butter and flour to a pan on a low heat and stir until the butter is melted and all the flour has been mixed in. Turn the heat up to medium and continue to cook for 2 minutes while the mixture bubbles, whisking constantly. Add all of the milk and continue to whisk fast and cook for 2-4 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and add most of the grated cheese along with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the cheese sauce off the heat and cover and drain the cooked pasta and set aside.
- Thinly slice the leeks then gently sweat off the leeks in a pan with some butter for around 5 minutes until soft and cooked.
- Add the cooked leeks to the cheese to the sauce and mix thoroughly before adding the cooked pasta the sauce and put back on a low heat to warm through.
- Put in a suitable oven proof dish and scatter the remaining grated cheese over the top of the dish.
- Place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and serve with a side of your favourite vegetables.
