Creamy Mac and Cheese

Fazila Olla-Logday

This easy, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food! Full of flavour and ultra-creaminess, this is the only recipe you'll ever need. Sour cream is the secret ingredient which adds a delicious tang and creaminess which helps create the best mac and cheese.

Ingredients Needed to make Creamy Mac and Cheese

Elbow pasta — AKA macaroni noodles.

Butter — I have used unsalted to control the salt content

Flour — I used cake wheat or plain flour.

Salt and Pepper — Season to taste.

Garlic — Use more or less as you prefer.

Dried mustard — or just use regular mustard instead.

Milk — I used full cream; however any type you have is fine.

Cheddar cheese — A good mature cheddar for a great flavour and freshly shredded.

Sour Cream — Adds tang and extra creaminess to the cheese sauce.

Baby Tomatoes — To garnish

Tips for Making the Best Mac and Cheese

1. When cooking your pasta, be sure to cook it just until al denté. When it’s baked in the oven, the macaroni will continue to cook and you don’t want to end up with mush.

2. Be sure to flavour your pasta water generously with salt. This is what will flavour your pasta from the inside out.

3. For an extra bit of flavour, add a pinch of nutmeg to the cheese sauce before mixing it in with the pasta. You won’t taste the nutmeg, but it will add a little something to the sauce.

4. Lastly, for the best flavour you should buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese that comes in bags is often coated in corn flour to prevent the cheese from sticking to itself and it can make the cheese sauce grainy, which you definitely don’t want.

Can I Freeze Macaroni and Cheese

The best way is to prepare your mac and cheese and freeze it before baking as it will be creamier and less grainy after cooking since it hasn’t been heated twice.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine South African

Servings

Ingredients

250 Gr Elbow Noodles
60 Gr Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Pepper To Taste
1/2 Tsp Garlic Paste
1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
2 Cups Hot Milk
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese Grated
1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Topping

3 Baby Tomatoes Sliced
1/2 Cup Cheese Grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease a medium sized baking dish or 4 small baking dishes. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and 1/4 tsp salt and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente.
Remove from heat, drain and rinse in cold water. Return to pot and set aside.
In a medium sized pot melt the butter.
Add flour, salt and freshly ground pepper, garlic paste and mustard powder and stir to create a roux. Stir over medium heat for one minute to let flour and butter settle together.
Slowly add about the hot milk a little bit at a time in order to create a smooth creamy sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and once well mixed, add the 1 cup of grated cheese.
Check the seasoning and add more if needed.
Stir in cooked elbow noodles.

Topping

Pour mixture into the baking dish and top with sliced tomatoes and remaining cheese.
Bake at 180 degrees C for about 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden brown.

Keyword Creamy Mac and Cheese, Mac and Cheese, Macaroni and Cheese

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!