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Macaroni cheese for kids

A super easy, budget-friendly meal, ideal for toddlers and big kids alike...

★★★★★ Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars. 20 Ratings
Rate this recipe
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Serves 2
  • Vegetarian
  • Freezable

Preparation

Total time
40 Mins
Preparation time
20 Mins
Cooking time
20 Mins
  • 250g macaroni

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 1 tbsp plain flour

  • 450ml milk

  • cheddar cheese, grated

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp mustard powder

  1. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions and drain when cooked

  2. Heat the butter (or margarine) and when melted, add a generous tablespoon of plain flour and mix it in

  3. Add some black pepper and a little nutmeg or mustard powder - cook on a low heat, stirring all the time, for about 30-60 seconds

  4. Add the milk a little at a time and mix well with a whisk - you should end up using about 450ml of milk

  5. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, to thicken the sauce, then add a big handful of grated cheddar cheese to make it a cheese sauce

  6. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well

  7. Serve straight away or put into an oven proof dish, grate some more cheese over and bake at 180'C/Gas mark 5 for 10 minutes

You will need

Whisk - This one by Wilko can be used with both wet and dry mixtures and has a nonslip handle. See more details here at Wilko.

Baking dish - This simple, ceramic Mason Cash baking and serving dish is a kitchen must-have. See more details here at Amazon.

Tips

This tasty meal is quick and cheap to make and there are plenty of variations to suit different tastes.

Older kids can hep with grating the cheese, and even toddlers will love sprinkling cheese on top.

Variations

Adding some vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, sweetcorn, carrots etc) to the pan of pasta, a few minutes before it is cooked

Or cooked sliced leeks and chopped up bacon give it a great twist

Reviews

★★★★★ Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars. 20 Ratings
Rate this recipe
  • Mary R(263)

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    A versatile and everyone's favorite dish. The main thing is that you can add anything you want - both vegetables and meat.

    Reviewed on 26/12/22

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Really easy recipe to follow and turned out delicious. I added leeks and bacon.

    Reviewed on 21/05/19

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Delicious! Substituted butter for olive oil, as I realised just before dinner we didn't have butter and still came out great.

    Reviewed on 09/03/16

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    It was #banging! Ate the lot #sorrynotsorry

    Reviewed on 10/02/16

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    This recipe is so easy to make and kids love it x

    Reviewed on 21/11/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Love this recipe and so did the kids. did add a little sweetcorn and peas and it tasted delicious

    Reviewed on 06/11/15

  • Theresa C(42)

    ★★★★☆ Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

    Loved this, really easy to make and tastes so much better home made. I added some bacon bits and my husband has demanded it every week.

    Reviewed on 02/10/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    I use this recipe but instead of mustard powder I use dijon mustard, delicious

    Reviewed on 20/09/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    I am always cooking loads of different dishes but for some unknown reason I have never attempted to make macaroni cheese before but this recipe was so easy and my 10 & 12 year olds loved it, as did my 33 week bump judging by the squirming going on. Great dish, will make again. Only thing I changed was I added smoked paprika instead of nutmeg or mustard.

    Reviewed on 29/08/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    I made this meal tonight and my son loved it..added grilled salmon to it. Very yummy!

    Reviewed on 21/07/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Hello there , Can some one please say if its good to eat the gorgonzola cheese specially kids . Am going to use it for the first time . Also I have another request of some one telling me how to make mushrooms with gorgonzola sauce . I have tried this in Prezzo and i Love it . Please let me know if there is anyone to tell me that . Thanks

    Reviewed on 10/03/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Easy to make, tastes fab, I added fried chorizo pieces and topped with tomato slices for a variation.

    Reviewed on 07/03/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Love this recipe so tasty and easy

    Reviewed on 05/03/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Love this recipe so tasty and easy

    Reviewed on 05/03/15

  • LouiseR

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    simple meal a family love it

    Reviewed on 27/02/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Fabulous, yummy recipe which my 14 month old son loves!

    Reviewed on 26/02/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    Fantastic recipe I use this all the time. I do use about 180g of strong cheddar cheese and a few slices of thick ham and add it after the cheese. Also done with peas too!! Goes down a treat with my girl.

    Reviewed on 26/02/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★☆ Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

    Really good recipe - my daughter loves this food and so do I!

    Reviewed on 25/02/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    This is a great basic recipe which I made with my 5 year old daughter who loves cooking. We added our own touches by frying an onion with some bacon which we stirred through the pasta before sprinkling on lots more cheese and baking. We also mixed gruyere and parmesan in with the cheddar - it was delicious.

    Reviewed on 21/01/15

  • Guest

    ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

    This is a fab recipe. Thanks for sharing x

    Reviewed on 15/01/15

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