Cheese & tomato macaroni with chipolatas
By Cassie Best
Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Mac 'n' cheese gets even more comforting. Add a layer of sausages and semi-dried tomatoes for an extra element
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Prep:15 mins
Cook:50 mins
- Serves 6
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 792
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fat 45g
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saturates 21g
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carbs 65g
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sugars 16g
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fibre 3g
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protein 33g
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salt 2.8g
Ingredients
- 12 chipolata sausages
- 300g pack semi-dried tomatoes, drained (reserve 1 tbsp oil for the sausages) and roughly chopped
- 400g macaroni or other small pasta shapes
- 75g butter
- bunch spring onions, chopped
- 75g plain flour
- 1l semi-skimmed milk
- 200g extra-mature cheddar, grated
- 50g Parmesan, grated
- 6 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped, plus a few short sprigs, to finish
- salad, to serve (optional)
Method
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the chipolatas in a baking dish approx 30 x 25cm (this will hold your pasta later, so make sure it’s big enough), drizzle with the tomato oil and cook for 25 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender, then drain. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. In a large pan, melt the butter, then add the spring onions. Fry for 1-2 mins to soften. Stir in the flour and mix with the butter to make a paste. Continue cooking for 30 secs, then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and Parmesan (reserving a good handful for the top), half the semi-dried tomatoes, the rosemary, seasoning and macaroni, then stir everything together.
Remove the baking dish from the oven, transfer the sausages to a plate and pour away any oil from the dish. Tip in the macaroni, nestle the sausages back in, pushing them in until only half exposed, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and tomatoes, and push in a few rosemary sprigs. Return to the oven and bake for 25 mins. Serve with a salad, if you like.
