Mac'n'Cheese

It's monday and time for a new meat-free recipe coming your way. We've had rather chilly weather and I have been craving more comfort food. Anything rustic, hearty and cheese sounds good to me at the moment. I am in full fall mode, I guess. 
I have had mac'n'cheese while visiting the U.S. after high school graduation and have started to love it back then. I know the dish doesn't have the healthiest reputation, but this recipe from Jamie Oliver uses skim milk for the béchamel sauce base and not as much cheese as other recipes so the recipe clocks in at less calories than most of the sandwiches you're buying for lunch every day. I also like the addition of tomatoes. They add sweetness, a slight fruitiness and lighten the cheese base. 

The recipe is originally from Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's America" but has been published online as well. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/a-killer-mac-n-cheese/#XIoU7V3gjtAHFZhI.97

Here's how I do it:
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
45g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
3 heaped tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced (optional)
6 bay leaves 
1 litre (4 cups; 32 fl.oz) skimmed milk
600g (21 oz) dried macaroni
8 tomatoes
150g (5.3 oz) grated cheddar 
100g (3.5 oz; 1 1/4 cups) grated parmesan
leaves from a few sprigs of thyme
2 splashes worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 grating nutmeg (optional)
3 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs

1) Bring a large pan of water to the boil. 

2) Melt the butter in a large pan on low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat of to medium, stirring the whole time, until you get a paste. If you use the garlic, add it to the paste and cook until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk little at a time to ensure a smooth sauce. Bring the sauce to the boil, then leave it on low heat to simmer away and thicken for about 5 minutes. 

3) Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packet directions. 

4) While your pasta is cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes and season them generously with salt and pepper. Grate the cheeses.

5) When your pasta is ready, drain it. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted. Immediately mix the pasta with the sauce and add the tomatoes and thyme leaves. Season again with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg or Worcestershire sauce, until it has reached your liking. 

6) Pour the whole paste and sauce into a large oven-proof baking dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven until golden, bubbling and crispy.

7) While the pasta is cooking, make the breadcrumbs. Put the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and a few thyme leaves in a pan and roast until golden and crunchy all over. Serve with the macaroni.

Serves: 8
Active preparation time: 30 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour

Here's how mine turned out:

I love the warm cheesy sauce, the fruitiness from the tomatoes. A deep, creamy pasta dish hits the spot on any given fall day and helps end the day perfectly. 

The recipe worked really nicely. It is super easy and doesn't take hours to prepare. You'll do half of the work, the oven will do the rest of it for you. Is there anything else you need?

Have fun trying and keep cosy during the longer, darker fall nights!