Print Leek and smoked cheese macaroni
An excellent midweek meal. Using wholewheat macaroni and including leeks makes this easy pasta bake a little more nutritious and interesting than traditional macaroni, but just as comforting. Smoked Cheddar and leeks are a good combination of sharp and sweet, but you can play around with the type of cheese – a piquant blue cheese also works (although might be less popular with children).
Ingredients
- 100g wholewheat macaroni
- Olive oil
- 100g leeks, shredded
- 10g butter
- 10g flour
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 200ml milk
- 50g smoked Cheddar, grated, & a little extra for topping
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional)
- Salt & pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Boil the pasta in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain and toss in a little olive oil.
- Meanwhile, gently cook the leeks in butter for 8 minutes. Add the flour to the leeks and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard. Gradually stir in the milk. Add the cheese and heat gently, stirring, to thicken the sauce. Season to taste.
- Transfer to a small baking dish and sprinkle over a little more cheese and breadcrumbs if using. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.
