Christmas mac 'n' cheese recipe
This Christmas mac 'n' cheese is the perfect recipe to use up any leftovers for a crowd-pleasing feast between Christmas and New Year.
As well as using up the ends of your cheeseboard, you could also add chunks of leftover turkey, pigs in blankets or sausagemeat stuffing for a meatier dish.
Ingredients
- 500 g macaroni
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
- 700 ml milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 450 g mixed cheeseboard cheese (cheddar, red Leicester, stilton, brie etc), grated
- 6 tbsp cranberry sauce
- 1 handful roast chestnuts
- 100 g leftover stuffing (or to taste)
Details
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Cook the macaroni in a large pan of slightly salty water according to the pack instructions, but take off the heat 3–4 minutes before reaching the recommended cooking time so that the macaroni is still ‘al dente’ (slightly undercooked). Drain and set aside.
- Warm the milk gently in a pan and then make a béchamel (white sauce) by melting the butter in a large saucepan, adding the flour and cooking for one minute whilst stirring continuously. Gradually add the warm milk a ladleful at a time, stirring to avoid lumps until a smooth sauce has formed.
- Stir in the mustard and 400g (14oz) of the grated cheese, then add the cooked macaroni, cranberry sauce and chestnuts and stir until coated.
- Pour the mac ‘n’ cheese into an ovenproof dish and top with the remaining cheese and the crumbled leftover stuffing.
- Place in the oven for 30mins at 170°C/338°F/gas mark 3, or until crisp and golden on top. Take it out of the oven and allow to set slightly before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Sainsbury's. Find more ways to waste less this Christmas with their recipe collection.
You might also like:
Turkey bubble and squeak cakes
Deluxe macaroni cheese with grilled tomatoes
The Hairy Bikers' crayfish macaroni cheese