Air fryer recipe · Mains
Golden Crust Mac And Cheese
Boiled macaroni folded through a smooth three-cheese sauce, spooned into a tin and topped with buttered crumbs. The air fryer sets it with a crisp, golden top.
- 28 minTotal time
- 180°CAir fryer
- 6Serves
- VegetarianDiet
Nutrition per serving
- 295kcal
- 12.1 gprotein
- 20.6 gcarbs
- 18.2 gfat
- 1.1 gfibre
Per serving, about 6 servings. Figures are estimates from standard ingredient databases, not medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice.
Ingredients
- pasta250 g macaroni, boiled
- cheese180 g, mixed grated
- milk300 ml
- butter3 tbsp
- flour2 tbsp
- breadcrumbs4 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
Method
Make the sauce
Melt two tablespoons of the butter, stir in the flour and cook for one minute to lose the raw taste. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth and thick, then stir in most of the cheese with a good grind of black pepper. Adding the milk bit by bit keeps the sauce lump-free.
Fold in the pasta
Add the boiled macaroni to the sauce and stir until every piece is coated, then season to taste. Coating the pasta while the sauce is hot and loose means it clings to each shape, so no dry, bare bits are left once it bakes.
Assemble the tin
Spoon the mixture into a greased air-fryer tin. Mix the breadcrumbs with the rest of the melted butter and the reserved cheese, then scatter it over the top. The buttered crumb is what bakes into the crisp, golden crust on top.
Air fry
Air-fry at 180°C for 15 min until the crumb top is crisp and golden and the sauce bubbles gently at the edges. Sit the tin so the hot air reaches the surface, and the bubbling edges tell you the inside is heated right through.
