Meatball Mac n Cheese
I’m not sure there’s much that tops homemade mac and cheese. I mean, it’s just so easy and delicious. It’s definitely a staple dish around here. I’ve always been inspired by vintage recipes. And while this recipe isn’t technically “vintage”. It feels like something my mom or grandma could 100% get behind. Every bite is layered with flavour, creamy pasta, meatballs, and cheese. It’s the creamiest bowl of baked mac and cheese that’s fancy enough for the weekend, but easy enough to make any night of the week without the meatballs as well. And most importantly, it’s so delicious…especially with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan on top.
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
150g ricotta
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tbs milk or water
1 large egg
1 tbs dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ttsp sea salt
Grated zest 1 lemon
250g pork mince
250g lamb mince
To cook
1 tbs each olive oil and butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp fennel seeds
¼-½ tsp chilli flakes
sea salt and ground pepper
50g butter
¼ cup plain flour
3 cups whole milk
½ cup cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp grated nutmeg
100g cheddar, grated, plus 30 grams extra for topping
60g gruyère, grated, plus 30 grams extra for topping
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus ½ cup extra for topping
500g macaroni
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan Grill.
Meatballs: Combine all the ingredients except meat in a large bowl and leave for 15 minutes. Add the meat and mix until fully combined. Form into about 18 small meatballs. Place on an oven tray and grill for 8min. They won’t be fully cooked. Set aside.
To cook: cook the onion, leek, garlic, fennel seeds and chilli with a good pinch of salt with oil and butter in fry-pan for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the 50g of butter in a large saucepan and whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook over a low heat for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the combined milk and cream, whisking continuously until smooth. Stir in the mustard and nutmeg and season well. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the three cheeses until melted and smooth. Stir in three-quarters of the leek mixture and set the rest aside.
Cook the pasta. Combine the pasta with the sauce in a baking dish. Nestle in the meatballs, then dot over the remaining leek mixture. Scatter over the combined leftover three cheeses and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling around the edges.
