Macaroni cheese with peas
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 2
This family favourite is great for toddlers too – just don’t serve it al dente!
Ingredients
- 250g macaroni pasta
- 2 handfuls frozen peas
- 25g unsalted butter
- 25g plain flour
- 300ml full-fat milk
- 50g hard cheese, such as Cheddar, grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5. Cook the macaroni according to the pack instructions. A couple of minutes before the end, add the peas, too. When the timer is up, drain the pasta and peas, and pour back into the empty saucepan.
- Meanwhile, make a quick sauce by melting the butter in a pan over a low heat then stirring in the flour. Add the milk, a little at a time, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sauce is thick and smooth (it should coat the back of your wooden spoon).
- Take the sauce off the heat and stir in half the cheese. Mix with the pasta and divide between two dishes – a large oven-proof one for yourself and your partner, and a smaller one for your baby.
- Sprinkle your dish with the remaining cheese, put it in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Put your baby’s portion to one side to cool, then cover and put in the fridge. To serve your baby’s portion, whizz with a handheld blender or in a food processor until smooth.
