Set off to conquer the United States and its crazy gastronomy for tonight’s meal! The signature dish of Uncle Sam’s country is mac & cheese. The principle is simple: a pasta gratin where gluttony is at its peak. The more cheese, the better. The creamy texture and melted cheese flavors are sure to delight you. If you are one of those who always end up with a pasta gratin that is too dry, this is impossible! Cheddar and mozzarella combine ideally to coat pasta with a nice creamy cheese sauce. If these arguments have made your mouth water, now is the time to get into the kitchen. Attention, this recipe is very addictive.
A really inexpensive recipe that will be a hit at dinner
Are you desperately looking for ways to please the whole family? Stop everything and prepare them mac & cheese For dinner ! This cheese pasta gratin improved will be sure to delight the whole table, whatever their culinary preference. With a dish as delicious as this, it’s impossible to disappoint. And if you’ve never heard of this typical American recipe, the culinary content creator known on social networks under the pseudonym Hellocooks is offering you a catch-up lesson.
The list of ingredients for 3 people:
- 430 ml of milk
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 15 g of butter
- 100 g cheddar + 30 g for the crust
- 70g mozzarella
- 250 g of conchiglie rigate
- 100 g of white ham
- breadcrumbs
- garlic and onion powder
- chili pepper (optional)
- salt and pepper
The steps of the recipe:
- Start by heating a pot of water for the pasta.
- At the same time, heat a frying pan over low heat and melt the butter. When the fat has melted, add the flour. This will form a paste. Then gradually pour in the milk while whisking. Season with pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder. Add chili if you like. Whisk again.
- When the pasta water boils, pour it in and cook according to the package directions. Allow around ten minutes.
- Cut the cheddar into pieces if it is not already grated and place them in the pan. Mix gently. Once the cheddar has melted, add the grated mozzarella and mix again.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour it into the pan. Mix well.
- Cut the ham slices into small pieces and add them to the pan. Stir making sure that all the ingredients are well covered with the cheese sauce.
- Pour half of the contents of the pan into a baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheddar and mozzarella then repeat the operation. Finish with a little more grated cheddar and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.
How to spice up mac and cheese?
We grant you, the mac and cheese recipe is already very delicious. On the other hand, if you feel like it or if you are a big fan of this North American dish, it is possible to improve it a little further.
The choice of pasta is important. In this recipe, the cook opted for conchiglioni, but it is a small departure from the original recipe. As the name suggests, mac and cheese is normally prepared with macaroni. You are free to do like the pure Americans or to take liberties. You can also replace the cheddar and mozzarella with the cheeses of your choice: County, Beaufort, abundance or even raclette! Feel free to slide in chorizo instead of ham or else mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
⋙ Easy chorizo macaroni gratin: the recipe ready in 20 minutes that will delight the whole family
⋙ Butternut macaroni gratin: Julie Andrieu’s ultra comforting and inexpensive recipe
⋙ Macaroni gratin by Laurent Mariotte and his tip so that it is not dry