A classic winter warmer, this Thermomix Macaroni Cheese with Crispy Pancetta is an easy weekday meal for the whole family to enjoy.
This recipe is adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s Glam Mac and Cheese recipe from her bestselling book Baking Made Easy. She’s one of my favourite TV chefs and makes everything look a breeze to cook.
This is pure comfort food and not one to make if you're watching your waistline! My whole family enjoy this and best thing is you don’t have to stand there for ages stirring the sauce as the Thermomix does it all for you – and without any lumps!
The good thing about this recipe is you can use up any old cheese you have going depending on everyone's taste. In her recipe she uses dolcelatte blue cheese but I think the flavour would be too much for my kids to enjoy so I've stuck to cheddar.
Unless you're really worried about getting your 2 and 5 a day, it's a good enough meal to have on it's own however it would equally be lovely with a fresh green salad.
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Thermomix Macaroni Cheese with Crispy Pancetta
Thermomix Macaroni Cheese - a classic winter warmer and an easy weekday meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 340 g macaroni or similar shape, I used elbow pasta
- 80 g pancetta or bacon
- 3 spring onions, trimmed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 20 g olive oil
- a few breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top (optional)
- fresh parsley to serve, optional
For the Cheese Sauce
- 30 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
- 250 g milk
- 250 g of double cream/cooking cream
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 200 g strong cheddar
- 80 g Parmesan cheese
Equipment
- Large shallow casserole dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan forced.
- Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water. It needs to be cooked to just under what you would normally do as the pasta will be cooked again in the oven. When cooked, drain and keep aside.
- Meanwhile, weigh the cheeses into the Thermomix bowl and grate for 10 sec/speed 9. Put aside and don't worry about cleaning the bowl.
- Next, place the pancetta and spring onions into the Thermomix bowl and chop 1 sec/speed 5. Open the lid and give it a quick stir then chop again for 1 sec/speed 5.
- Add the thyme leaves and olive oil to the bowl and cook for 5 mins/100/reverse/speed 1 with the measuring cap off. Put aside or add it to the drained pasta if it is ready.
- To make the cheese sauce, weigh the butter, plain flour, milk, cream and a pinch of nutmeg and teaspoon of mustard. Close the lid and cook for 6 mins/90/speed 4. When finished, it should be nice and creamy. Add two thirds of the cheese to the sauce and blend for 20 sec/speed 7 until thoroughly mixed in and lump free.
- Add the cheese sauce to the pasta, along with the pancetta mix and season to taste. Gently fold everything together until the pasta is coated. Spoon into a shallow casserole dish or some ramekins.
- Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the topping goes crumbly and brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve while hot.
Notes
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for the next day.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 765Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 781mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 27g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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