A deliciously cheesy macaroni cheese with homemade cheese sauce, crispy bacon and a breadcrumb topping... a homemade dinner idea that is easy and heavenly!
Cook the macaroni pasta for two minutes less than the packet instructions and then drain and set aside
Cook the bacon lardons in a dry pan, over a medium high heat, until crispy
Preheat the oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan and grab a large baking dish
Add the butter to a pan, and melt on a medium heat
Add the flour and mix together. Add the mustard powder and garlic.
Once mixed, increase the heat to hot and cook the flour out for a minute or two
Gradually add the milk to the pan, whisking well each time, until you have added all the milk. Add very small amounts at first as it will need to mix with the flour and this prevents lumps.
Once you have added all of the milk, simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stiring well, so that the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom if the pan
Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated parmesan, grated cheddar and salt and pepper and mix together until the cheese has melted into the sauce
Add the bacon lardons to the baking dish, along with the cooked macaroni pasta, and then pour over the sauce. Stir it all together a bit.
Sprinkle over the extra cheddar, and breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
If you like the bacon flavour, you can use the bacon grease from the frying pan instead of the butter in the sauce (if you don't have 35g worth, make up the difference with butter)
You can use any cheddar really, I just love mature cheddar cheese
If you want a little kick, add 1tsp paprika to the cheese sauce along with the mustard powder and garlic
This is best served fresh, but can last 2+ days in the fridge and be reheated.
The bacon is optional, it and be left over if you want the dish to be vegetarian