Michela Chiappa's ultimate macaroni cheese
Michela Chiappa is back in the kitchen bringing us a Friday treat, her ultimate Macaroni and Cheese. Creamy and covered in golden breadcrumbs for a crispy top - it's the perfect indulgent dinner for a cosy night in.
Ultimate mac ‘n’ cheese
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
200g pasta 250g ricotta100ml milk4 slices of ham, sliced into small cubes/ strips200g peas 80g grated cheese of choice 1 ball mozzarella, torn40g grated ParmesanSalt to tasteBlack pepper to tasteNutmeg to taste40g fine breadcrumbsSplash of milk
Method
1. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.
2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, mix together the ricotta and milk to form the ‘cheat’s white sauce’. Add the ham, peas and ½ of the grated cheese of your choice and ½ of the grated Parmesan to the ricotta mix. Season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg to taste and set aside.
3. Once the pasta is drained, toss it into your ‘cheat’s white sauce’ mix and then place the coated pasta into an oven proof dish. Dot with mozzarella.
4. Mix together the remaining grated cheese and Parmsean with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle it on top.
5. Pour a dash of milk into each corner of the dish to make sure the pasta doesn't dry out in the oven.
6. Place the dish under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. Serve.