Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Rich Beef Ragu

A must try recipe from the April 2017 Olive magazine - mac 'n' cheese with rich beef ragu…it really is delicious…rich beef ragu on the bottom and topped with a lovely mac ‘n’ cheese!

The oozing cheese sauce along with the lovely tender slow-cooked meat makes this a real comfort food winner and it's just what's needed on a cold day when you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed - be warned though...a sleep after eating this is mandatory!!

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Ingredients

For the ragu:

• 1kg beef shin, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned really well
• olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, grated
• 1 star anise
• 200ml beef stock
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 200ml red wine
• 200ml passata
• a bunch of basil, chopped

For the mac 'n' cheese:

• 35g butter
• 35g plain flour
• 700ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 200g mature cheddar, grated
• 100g gruyère, grated
• 100g emmental, grated
• 250g macaroni

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Start with the ragu - toss the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole then brown the beef chunks in small batches until they have a good colour on all sides, then scoop them out and do the next batch.
2. Once all the beef has browned, tip it back into the casserole and add the onion, carrot, and star anise. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée. Add the stock, wine, and passata and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the basil.
3. Meanwhile, make the mac ‘n’ cheese - melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce.
4. Add the mustard powder, cheddar, gruyère, emmental, and stir until melted. Season.
5. Turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the macaroni until just al dente (approx 7-8 minutes) then rinse under cold water and drain well. Mix with the cheese sauce.
6. Spoon the ragu into a large baking dish. Top with the mac ‘n’ cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Rich Beef Ragu

Deborah

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 20 mins

Course Main, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American, british, Italian

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

For the ragu:

• 1kg beef shin cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour seasoned really well
• olive oil
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 carrots grated
• 1 star anise
• 200ml beef stock
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 200ml red wine
• 200ml passata
• a bunch of basil chopped

For the mac 'n' cheese:

• 35g butter
• 35g plain flour
• 700ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 200g mature cheddar grated
• 100g gruyère grated
• 100g emmental grated
• 250g macaroni

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Start with the ragu - toss the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole then brown the beef chunks in small batches until they have a good colour on all sides, then scoop them out and do the next batch.
• Once all the beef has browned, tip it back into the casserole and add the onion, carrot and star anise. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée. Add the stock, wine and passata and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the basil.
• Meanwhile, make the mac ‘n’ cheese - melt the butter in a pan then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce.
• Add the mustard powder, cheddar, gruyère, emmental and stir until melted. Season.
• Turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the macaroni until just al dente (approx 7-8 minutes) then rinse under cold water and drain well. Mix with the cheese sauce.
• Spoon the ragu into a large baking dish. Top with the mac ‘n’ cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

You might also like to try

• breads
• pasta dishes
• beef dishes

 

Keyword beef ragu, cheese sauce, comfort food, macaroni, Olive magazine, pasta, slow cooker, warmer, winter