Who doesn’t love macaroni cheese? The indulgent silky sauce is just so comforting, and even though it’s definitely more of a wintery meal, it’s something I love to eat all year round.
Over the years, I have tried out countless mac and cheese recipes. Once you’ve got the hang of making that all-important roux, it’s easy – all you need to do is add the milk and cheese, pour it into a dish with the pasta, and bake until golden. However, there is one recipe in particular I come back to time and time again, and it involves adding in a bit of a wild-card, fiery ingredient.
If you’ve never put gochujang in your macaroni cheese, consider this your sign to start doing it. This sweet yet spicy red chilli paste is hugely popular in Korean cooking, as it adds a spicy and delicious punch to your meals.
It’s very thick, so you really don’t need to use a lot, and one tub will last months if you keep it in the fridge. You can usually find it in the world foods aisle of the supermarket, or any good Asian grocery store.
I first tried gochujang mac and cheese after spotting a recipe on Instagram by Dan Dumbrell, former Masterchef Australia contestant, back in 2023 – and I’ve never looked back. I’ve made a few small tweaks to the recipe based on what I’ve found to work best, so if you like your pasta with a bit of a kick, this is the dish for you.
Method
First, preheat your oven to 180C while you get started on the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat then add the garlic, frying it for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Then, add the flour and stir constantly until you’ve got a thick paste called a roux. Add in your gochujang and mix thoroughly again until everything is combined.
Pour in a little milk bit by bit, whisking until there are no lumps in the sauce. Meanwhile, put your pasta on to boil in a pan of salted water.
Once your sauce is smooth, take it off the heat and gradually add the cheese, stirring until it’s all melted. The original recipe calls for only mozzarella, but I find this makes the sauce way too thick, plus the cheddar adds a better flavour.
Mix the sauce with the pasta once it’s cooked and pour it into an oven dish. Then, make a quick breadcrumb by toasting some panko crumbs and sesame oil in a hot pan until they turn golden brown.
Top the mac and cheese with an extra sprinkle of cheddar and mozzarella followed by the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
This makes around four portions, and it’s even more delicious the next day. So the next time you’re at the supermarket, pick up a tub of gochujang if you don’t have one already – you will not regret it.
