Hazelnut and Basil Mac and Cheese
Rudely Alternative. Five ingredients. Five steps.
Dinner party dilemma? Family to feed? Need a hit-the-spot homemade meal in a hurry? We’ve got you covered in Rude Health's rudely alternative style.
To celebrate the versatility of Rude Health's dairy-alternative drinks, we’ve teamed up with chef, writer and food stylist Anna Jones to launch five, five ingredient dinner recipes. They’re quick, easy and above all else, full of flavour, with each one using a different drink from our rainbow range.
Here’s Rude Health's Hazelnut and Basil Mac and Cheese made with their Hazelnut Drink for a full nutty flavour.
"This is a great way to load your mac and cheese with greens. The dish cleverly combines the freshness of a pesto with comforting, cheesy pasta for a delicious (and gorgeous green) end result. Use all of the basil, stalks and all, for plenty of flavour and no waste." – Anna Jones
Recipe
Serves 4
1 large bunch of basil (about 50g)
1 small head of broccoli (about 200g), roughly chopped, stalk and all
300g macaroni, I use a wholemeal one
250g sharp cheddar or gruyere cheese, or a mixture of both, grated
150ml Rude Health Hazelnut Drink
From the store cupboard: 2 cloves of garlic, a couple of slices of bread
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200C with a rack in the middle. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
- Peel the garlic and put it into the bowl of your food processor with the basil (stalks and all), the broccoli and a good glug of olive oil and pulse until you have a fine crumb.
- Transfer 3⁄4 to to a small bowl, leave the rest in the food processor and tear in the bread from your store cupboard, blitz until you have fine breadcrumbs.
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water for about 1⁄3 less time then the packet suggests — you want to be a bit undercooked as it will cook again in the oven.
- Drain the pasta, reserving a mug of the hot pasta water for later.
- Return the hot pasta to the pan and add 3⁄4 of the cheese and the hazelnut drink.
- Next, add the pasta water to thin the sauce to the consistency of double cream, then stir through 3⁄4 of the broccoli mixture. It can be a bit runny as the pasta will soak up the liquid while it bakes.
- Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper before transferring everything to a large baking dish.
- Sprinkle over the breadcrumb mixture and then the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.
- Serve with a crisp green salad.
