Leftover Pigs In Blankets Mac & Cheese
This leftover pigs in blankets mac & cheese combines the best part of Christmas dinner with a quick & easy, cheesy stovetop pasta!
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Stick Blender
- 2 Large Saucepans
- Cheese Grater
- Large Frying Pan
- Small Frying Pan
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Plain Flour
- 700 ml Whole Milk
- 500 ml Chicken Stock
- 2 tsp Mustard Dijon Or French's
- Grated Nutmeg To Taste
- 100 g Mature Cheddar Grated
- 100 g Red Leicester Grated
- 75 g Brie Cut Into Small Pieces
Crispy Breadcrumbs
- 15 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Panko Breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp Garlic Granules
Pasta
- 300 g Macaroni
- 10 Leftover Pigs In Blankets Cooked
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Chop each pig in blanket into four pieces then place onto a baking tray, drizzle with veg oil then set aside.
Crispy Breadcrumbs
- Place a small frying pan over a medium heat then add in the butter & leave to melt.
- Once melted, add in the breadcrumbs & garlic granules. Season with salt & pepper then fry until golden brown & crispy, stirring/shaking the pan regularly.
- Transfer the crispy breadcrumbs to a bowl then set aside.
Cheese Sauce
- Place the butter into a large saucepan then cook over a medium heat until melted.
- Stir in the flour then cook out for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add in half the milk then whisk until smooth & cook out until thick, stirring regularly. This will take 2-3 minutes over a medium heat.
- Next, pour in the remaining milk & keep cooking until thickened again.
- Now add in half the chicken stock & reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring/whisking regularly until the sauce has thickened back up.
- Pour in the rest of the stock then keep cooking until the flour has been cooked out & the sauce has thickened for a final time.
- Reduce the heat to low, add in the mustard, nutmeg & cheeses then stir until melted. Season the sauce with salt & pepper then take off the heat.
- Give the cheese sauce a good blitz with a stick blender then set aside.
Pasta
- Place a large saucepan of water over a high heat & bring to the boil. At the same time, place the tray of pigs in blankets into the preheated oven & cook for 5-10 minutes or until hot.
- Add a large pinch of salt to the pan of water then add in the raw macaroni & stir with a wooden spoon.This stops the pasta sticking together!
- Cook the pasta at a rolling boil for 5 minutes or until it is cooked al dente.
- When the pasta is almost ready, place the pan of sauce back over a medium-low heat, to warm back up.
- Once cooked, transfer the pasta to the cheese sauce, using a slotted spoon.
- Stir the pasta & sauce together, pouring in a small amount of pasta water if necessary. Stir in the pigs in blankets then take the pan off the heat.
To Serve
- Spoon the pasta into bowls then top each one with a generous sprinkle of breadcrumbs & a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
1. Cheese - This dish is designed to make use of leftovers so feel free to use whatever cheese you have available. Blue cheese, goat's cheese & parmesan are all good options!
2. The Sauce - Once cooked, the sauce can either be used straight away or cooled down & stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. If refrigerating, the sauce will need a good 5 minutes on the stove to heat back up.
3. Baking - If you'd prefer to bake the mac & cheese, cook the pasta for 1 minute less & don't fry the breadcrumbs. To cook, stir together the pasta, pigs in blankets & sauce then transfer to a heatproof dish. Top with the uncooked breadcrumbs, an extra sprinkling of cheese then bake at 200°c/392°f for 15-20 minutes.