In Liber de Coquina, an Italian recipe book from the 1300s, there is a recipe for a dish made with pasta and Parmesan. I made sure to use Parmesan for my loaded macaroni cheese to pay homage to my love of Italy, and the amazing meals we have had there.
Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Loaded Macaroni Cheese ♥
Recipes old and new
If you were looking at a 14th-century medieval English recipe book and come across this, what would you think you were making?
take and make a thynne foyle of dowh, and kerue it on pieces, and cast hym on boiling water and seep it wele. Take chese and grate it, and butter imelte, cast bynethen and abouven as losyns; and serue forth.
This is a recipe for makerouns as laid out in Forme of Cury. This dish was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. The macaroni of old (losyns) was more of a lasagne style dish. Today, macaroni cheese is completely different. Cooked macaroni pasta, is drenched in a cheese laden béchamel sauce and then baked to perfection. I have done a quick version of this on the stove top which was divine.
Loaded Macaroni Cheese
Wanting more than just a plain mac n cheese, I decided to create a loaded macaroni cheese which Dave and I could indulge in. Part of my inspiration came from a meal I had at a local brewery. There they used spätzle and added a lot of bacon. It was rich and decadent, and the perfect meal to soak up the beer. At home I took this concept and added cauliflower into the mix. The cheese sauce was made using a mixture of mozzarella and mature cheddar. The cheddar adds the flavour, whereas the mozzarella adds the stringiness one expects from a good macaroni cheese. I made two large portions which was more than enough for the two of us. What would you add to load your meal?
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Loaded Macaroni Cheese ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
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Loaded Macaroni Cheese
Ingredients
- 150 g cauliflower florets
- 150 g dried macaroni
- olive oil for drizzling
- Salt to season, plus extra for the pasta water
- 100 g bacon pieces
- 30 g butter
- 17 g flour
- 10 mls English mustard powder
- 300 mls milk
- 0.625 mls cayenne pepper
- 100 g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 50 g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- 5 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 7 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add enough salt so that you can taste it
- Add the cauliflower to the water and cook for 5 minutes
- Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in ice cold water
- Drain and set aside in a large bowl
- Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the packet instructions
- Drain and add to the cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and toss gently
- Place the bacon into a cold, large, non stick frying pan and turn on the heat
- Cook the bacon until all the fat has been rendered out and is nice and crispy
- Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside
- Add the butter to the pan and melt
- Add the flour and mustard powder and stir to make a roux
- Cook for one minute then slowly add the milk while whisking
- Continue to cook the béchamel over a low temperature, whisking frequently, until thickened
- Add the cayenne and season with salt to taste
- Place the mozzarella and cheddar into a bowl and mix to combine
- Add half to the béchamel and stir until smooth
- Add the cauliflower, macaroni and bacon and stir until well coated
- Place into a large (or two medium), oven proof dish and add the rest of the cheese
- Scatter the Parmesan and thyme leaves on top
- Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before tucking in
Dave and I are away, exploring the Koue Bokkeveld and Tankwa Karoo. I will be back on the 18th of September and will reply to comments then. See the pics I post by following me on Instagram.
See the links below for blog posts I published on September 12:
- 2023: Baked Roti
- 2022: Spiced Cauliflower Soup
- 2021: Suspects
- 2018: King Georges Guesthouse
- 2016: Calming Goji Berry Smoothie
- 2013: Kiwi Fruit Salsa
- 2012: Miss Melicious Cupcakes
- 2011: Saul’s, Strand
- 2010: Food Quiz Number 36 For A Friday
this looks delightful Tandy and i love the cauliflower!
Thank you Sherry 🙂
That looks truly comforting and tasty! Just 5 grams of grated Parmesan?
Yup, it comes out as enough imo 🙂 But feel free to add more 😉
Delicious look – not a cauliflower fan but my wife would love this take on it!
Maybe make it for her?
Excellent recipe! I think I’ll make this when my daughter comes over. I like the idea of using half macaroni and half cauliflower.
I hope she enjoys it!
Great mac&cheese, and I love the addition of cauliflower and bacon!
Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Interesting post with the wording from the14th-century medieval English recipe. I love Mac and cheese but never thought to add cauliflower. Sounds delicious.
Thank you, and hope you can try a vegan version 🙂
Sounds sinfully rich and delicious, Tandy. Hard to beat for pure comfort.
You are right, this is pure comfort!