Garlic mushroom macaroni cheese

I'm aware that the last several (um... many) posts have been fairly cheese-centric. But really, what did you expect from me? And I feel no shame whatsoever, so here's the cheesiest recipe yet. And don't you just want to dive right into it?

(it's quite embarrassing how often I've stopped writing for a few minutes and just sat ogling this masterpiece)

If I could do so without getting incredibly fat (I can only dream), I'd eat macaroni cheese every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, that wouldn't make for a very interesting blog, so sometimes I try to mix it up a bit. There are very few things that make a dish of creamy pasta with a crispy cheese topping better... but garlic mushrooms are definitely one of them.

I reeeally shouldn't be writing this post at quarter to one, when I haven't had any lunch yet. It's making me so hungry. I think I may need to go and eat allll the cheese.

(I'm off to a wedding tomorrow though and if I want there to be any chance of me fitting into my dress, I should probably not eat all the cheese. This makes me a bit sad)

Garlic mushroom macaroni cheese

Serves 3-4

300g pasta
60g butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
200g mushrooms, cut into 1/2cm dice
2tbsp plain flour
250ml milk
100g cheddar, grated
50g vegetarian parmesan or pecorino, finely grated

Heat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6 / 400°F).

Boil the pasta according to the packet's instructions.

Meanwhile, melt half of the butter in a large saucepan, and add the garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have cooked down and released some liquid. Push the mushroom mixture to the edge of the pan, and melt the remaining butter in the gap created. Add the flour, and stir it into the melted butter. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly (it doesn't matter if some of the mushrooms get dragged into the mix). Add the milk a little at a time and begin to incorporate the mushrooms, stirring continually to create a white sauce. Then add the cheddar, and stir until the cheese has melted.

Drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a suitably sized baking dish, and sprinkle over the grated pecorino. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.