You Will Need:

Main Dish

250 g macaroni
boiling water
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Pasta Spice
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's White Sauce Powder
4 T (60 ml) cold tap water
2 cups (500 ml) full cream milk
2 T (30 ml) butter
½ t (2,5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning
1 cup (100 g) grated cheddar cheese
1 smallish onion, chopped
½ t (2,5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Green Onion Seasoning
1 t (5 ml) butter
2 T (30 ml) oil, canola is fine
200 - 250 g button mushrooms, sliced
1 x 400 ml Ina Paarman's Tomato & Mushroom Pasta Sauce or Ina Paarman's Beef Bolognaise Pasta Sauce

Ina’s Tip

Double the recipe for a crowd. In that case it is quicker to make the sauce on the stove rather than in the microwave.

Method:

Adjust the oven shelf to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Boil the pasta for 7 minutes and drain.

Season with Pasta Spice and stir through the olive oil.

Mix the White Sauce Powder with the cold water to make a smooth slurry. Bring the milk and butter to a fast boil, either on the stove or in the microwave on 100% power.

(If microwaving use a 1 litre measuring jug to allow for foaming.) Immediately mix the slurry into the boiling milk mixture while stirring briskly with a wire whisk to achieve a smooth consistency. Cook for a further 1 minute if not thick enough and give a final stir before use.

Add the Chilli & Garlic Seasoning and 2⁄3 of the cheese to the sauce.

Dish the Pasta Sauce into a medium/large 30 cm x 21 cm ovenproof dish and level it out. Sauté the onion, pre-seasoned with Green Onion Seasoning, until brown, in a mixture of the butter and oil.

Add mushrooms and stir-fry until just beginning to wilt. Spoon the cooked mushrooms and onion over the Pasta Sauce in the dish. Spoon the macaroni over the mushrooms.

Finally spread the white sauce over. Sprinkle remaining cheese over.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until nicely browned.

Serve with a large tossed salad.