
After weeks (more likely months…) of eating out, ordering takeaways and eating all the naughty things, I thought it was about time I tried cooking a hearty meal from scratch.I’m really into baking at the moment, and I especially loved baking a salted caramel chocolate cake a few weeks back – which went down an absolute treat with family and friends!
I love hearty, home cooked meals in the Winter, especially mum’s homemade stews with fluffy dumplings, roast dinners with all the trimmings and hearty sausage casseroles. So when Mr Crumb sent me a pack of their brand new roasted garlic and herb stuffing, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a warming dish, perfect for those cold, dark evenings! Leek mac n’ cheese (with a twist) is quick and easy to make, and can be eaten as a main or with crispy chicken fillets or pork steaks.
The macaroni cheese is cheesy and soft, and the leeks add a fresh taste to the dish. The grated cheese on top gives the mac n’ cheese a lovely crispy topping, and the stuffing crumbled on top adds a delicious, indulgent taste to the dish.
We ate the leek mac n’ cheese over the space of two days. On the first day, we had the hot dish straight out of the oven for dinner. The next day we reheated it, added a touch more cheese and served it with pork steaks and hot sweetcorn.
This dish is super easy to make, tastes delicious and can last a good few days!
Leek mac n’ cheese with a twist
INGREDIENTS (serves 5 people)
400g macaroni, dried
50g butter
50g plain flour
900ml milk
1 tsp english mustard
100g cheese, grated (for the sauce)
50g cheese, grated (for the top)
2 leeks, chopped
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper
Mr Crumb roasted garlic and herb stuffing
METHOD
- Preheat your oven to 200C/fan 180C. Whilst it’s warming up, cook your macaroni on the hob.
- Heat the oil up in a pan and add the garlic and leeks. Cook until the leeks have softened up.
- Melt the butter in a separate pan. Add the flour in gradually and stir well.
- Gradually add the milk to the pan and stir well to avoid any lumps. Add a teaspoon of English mustard to the pan and mix.
- Add the grated cheese and stir into the mixture until it has melted into the sauce.
- Stir the leeks into the sauce and add the cooked macaroni pasta.
- Add the mixture into a large over proof dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over it. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Take the mixture out of the oven and crumble Mr Crumb Roasted Garlic & Herb stuffing on top and bake for another 10 minutes until crispy.
You can find Mr Crumb‘s range of stuffing, including Sage & Onion, Apple & Apricot and Lemon & Thyme in Sainsburys & Asda.
I like the idea of adding the leeks. I will keep it in mind.
Author
Garlicky leeks are a tasty added ingredient to mac n cheese! 🙂
Oooh I love leeks, but I’d never thought of adding them to mac & cheese before! Will need to try it out x
Author
Delicious aren’t they? Especially in a winter soup!
Ohh this looks delicious! I’m such a big fan of mac and cheese so I know I will be giving this a whirl in the near future!
Ruth // http://www.ruth-writes.co.uk
Author
It’s so delicious, have fun making it! 😀
This looks yummy! I love stuffing what a genius idea to use it as the topping
Author
It makes such a delicious topping! 😀