‘Nduja mac ‘n’ cheese with basil crumb
By:
Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.
- Published: 21 Nov 22
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Our ‘ndjua mac ‘n’ cheese recipe is a real crowdpleaser. The fiery, spreadable sausage works wonderfully alongside the gooey cheese sauce, while the fragrant and crispy basil breadcrumbs and drizzle of honey on top tick all the right boxes.
Try The Hairy Bikers’ lobster mac ‘n’ cheese for a special occasion.
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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 20 min. Oven time 20 min
Ingredients
- 200g macaroni
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g plain flour
- 400g whole milk
- 200g mature cheddar, coarsely grated, plus a handful for the topping
- 80g ‘nduja
- Bunch basil
- 20g panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp runny honey
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C/gas 4. Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 6 8 minutes until very al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven).
- Meanwhile, make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, then add the flour and cook, whisking regularly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk bit by bit until you have a nice smooth sauce. Fold in the cheese, stirring until melted and completely combined, then stir in the ‘nduja. Keep warm over a very low heat.
- Drain the pasta and stir it into the sauce, ensuring every piece is coated, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Roughly chop the basil and add to a blender with the breadcrumbs. Whizz for around a minute until the breadcrumbs turn bright green.
- Sprinkle the macaroni with the remaining grated cheese and basil breadcrumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and bubbling. Drizzle the honey over the top before serving.
- Recipe from December 2022 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 727kcals
- Fat
- 42.5g (24.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 28.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 56.6g (8.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3g
- Salt
- 1.5g
delicious. tips
You can prepare the pasta-covered sauce and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. The breadcrumbs should be made and added fresh so the basil doesn’t oxidise and turn black.
‘Nduja is a spicy cured sausage from Calabria in southern Italy. It’s made from pork mince, lard (making it spreadable as well as tasty) and fiery Calabrian chillies. It’s available from larger supermarkets or in delis in jars or as a sausage. If it’s in a sausage, it needs to be room temperature before you stir it into the sauce.
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Has anyone made this yet, there is runny honey mentioned in the
ingredient list but it doesn’t appear in the method so unsure where it should be used?
Hi Pamela, thanks for your feedback! The runny honey gets drizzled on the top before serving (see Step 4). We hope you enjoy the mac ‘n’ cheese.