Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
400g macaroni pasta or pasta of your choice
80g unsalted butter
1 ½ cups provolone cheese, diced into cube
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, diced into cubes
1 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup plain white flour
3 cups full cream milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup breadcrumbs (I use homemade breadcrumbs added to a food processor)
Salt to season
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/350f. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions, until al-dente. Drain and set aside. Using a food processor to blitz the bread into smaller pieces. Depending on how chunky this will depend on what you prefer. Toast them with some olive oil in a medium saucepan and cook until they are golden brown and crunchy.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium to low heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minutes until well combined. Pour in milk and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts to slightly thicken. Add nutmeg, paprika and season well with salt, stirring until combined. Reserve ¼ cup of each of the cheeses for the top of the bake. Add in the remaining cheeses to the milk and whisk once again until the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes. Once all the cheese has melted turn off the heat.
Add the cooked pasta to the thickened cheese mixture and stir until the pasta is completely stirred in. Pour into a deep baking dish and scatter the remaining cheeses and breadcrumbs all over. Bake in the oven and cook for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
Serve immediately with more grated parmesan cheese.
Buon Appetito! x