This American comfort classic will get you through cold but cosy nights and sick days better spent Christmas shopping.

You Will Need:

2 pints Béchamel (see separate recipe below)

500g macaroni2

handfuls of grated Cheddar

1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot

6–8 eggs

Parsley to garnish

Knorr Aromat Seasoning

For the Béchamel sauce

Ingredients:

100g butter

100g flour

2.3l semi-skimmed milk

2 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots

Ingredients for 600ml:

25g butter

25g flour

570ml semi-skimmed milk

1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot

Recipe serves: 6

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Method:

  1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
  2. Using the wooden spoon, stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously.
  3. Gradually stir in ¾ of the milk, a little at a time, until the paste becomes a liquid.
  4. Replace your spoon with the balloon whisk, then stir through your final quarter of milk.
  5. Whisk through the Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots.
  6. Bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Finally, to remove any lumps, strain the sauce through a fine sieve to produce a smooth velvety texture.

Method for the Macaroni Cheese:

  1. Soft boil one egg per person so they’re still runny inside. The eggs can be prepared in advance then simply reheated at the end. Carefully remove them from their shells.
  2. Bring a large pan of water for the pasta to a rapid boil. Dissolve a Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot into it to season the water. Add a little olive oil to stop the macaroni sticking.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, make a béchamel sauce. Melt in the grated cheese. I use mature farmhouse Cheddar because I like its punch. You can use different cheese to flavour the Béchamel. How much you add is up to you. Some like it more cheesy than others.
  4. With 2 minutes left to go, put the soft-boiled eggs into a small pan of simmering water to reheat them.
  5. Drain the macaroni. Season it with Knorr Aromat. Put it back in the pan, then mix the pasta and cheese sauce together. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the soft-boiled eggs. Drizzle a little olive oil over each egg and season with some sea salt and a grind of black pepper. Garnish with parsley.
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