A family favourite that is economical but, with a few additions like bacon, ham, pesto, or different cheeses, can be turned into a glamour meal. As mac ‘n’ cheese contains a generous amount of cheese, avoid boiling the sauce or baking the finished product at a high temperature as the cheese content works with the whey concentrate to continue to thicken the sauce; it is food science at work. I have designed this recipe to avoid this happening by adding the whey concentrate-enhanced milk at the end. This recipe makes enough to serve a family, but can easily be halved for 2-3 people.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes ㆐Cooking Time: 30 minutes ㆐Serves: 6
Ingredients
50 grams butter
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
6 tablespoons McLeod Nutrition® Whey Protein Concentrate
2 cups grated tasty or Edam cheese
3-4 cups cooked pasta shapes (macaroni, spirals)
Before you start
Have the pasta cooked and hot. Heat the oven to 160°C fan grill . Set the oven rack in the middle.
Method
- Heat the butter in the a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and gradually stir in three cups’ milk. Return to the heat and stir constantly (using a wooden spoon) over a moderate heat until the sauce comes to the boil and boil for one minute.
- Whisk together the remaining milk and McLeod Nutrition Whey Protein Concentrate making sure that the powder is thoroughly disssolved. Stir into the white sauce, stirring over a low heat until the sauce is hot – do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add one cup of grated cheese, all the pasta and stir to mix. The mac ‘n’ cheese can be served in bowls at this point, topped with the remaining cheese. To bake, transfer the mix to an 8-cup capacity oven-proof dish. Scatter the remaining cheese on top.
- Place in the pre-heated oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese has melted and begun to brown. Serve with green vegetables or a salad.
Variations
In my family home, our mac ‘n’ cheese changes from week to week as I add in left-overs,
ham, bacon and more. Vary up your mac ‘n’ cheese as you like or try one of these ideas.
- Add 4-5 crispy cooked and crumbled bacon rashers with the cheese into the sauce or scatter on top before serving.
- For a family meal, add in a cup or two of frozen mixed vegetables at the end of Point 2, and heat through.
- Use one cup of cream in place of milk for extra richness.
- Use a mix of blue cheese and cheddar-style cheeses and scatter over toasted walnuts and crispy-fried bacon before serving.
- Diced ham, chicken or flaked salmon can also be added to the dish.
Add in chopped sundried tomatoes and scatter diced fresh tomatoes on top before the final cooking in the oven.
An Allyson Gofton Recipe, created especially for McLeod Nutrition
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (6 serves) Serving size: 300 g |
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Average quantity per serve |
Average quantity per 100g |
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Energy |
1694 kJ |
566 kJ |
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Protein |
22.5 g |
7.5 g |
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Fat, total |
20.7 g |
6.9 g |
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- Saturated |
12.8 g |
4.3 g |
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Carbohydrate |
31.1 g |
10.4 g |
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- Sugar |
10.0 g |
3.3 g |
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Dietary Fibre |
2.4 g |
0.8 g |
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Sodium |
589 mg |
197 mg |
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