Ridiculously smooth and creamy one-pot mac n cheese with Quorn pieces

How do you fancy eating the most creamy, decadent macaroni cheese you’ve ever tasted? And how do you fancy only having one, single pot to wash up afterwards? And best still, how do you fancy not having to faff around making a white sauce, because with this recipe, the pasta cooks in the milk and cream and the sauce thickens up all by itself.

The Quorn adds a little texture and protein and the extra cheddar on top gives a gooey, stringy deliciousness as you serve.

Here’s what to do. It feeds at least 6 as you will not need a huge portion of this rich, drool-worthy meal. Serve with masses of fresh salad.

Ingredients

300g frozen Quorn pieces
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic puree
salt and pepper
450ml milk
500ml double cream
200ml water
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp mustard powder
500g dried macaroni
100g grana padano
150g red cheddar

Instructions

Fry the Quorn and garlic in the oil over a medium heat until soft and just starting to colour
Add a pinch of salt and pepper and everything else except thegrana padano and cheddar
Bring gently to a low simmer, then replace the lid and keep an eye on the heat until it’s just bubbling gently and evenly
Cook for 12-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente. If you feel the sauce has over thickened at any point during the cooking process, just add a little cool water and stir through
Take off the heat and stir in the grana padano until melted
Sprinkle the cheddar on top and replace the lid for long enough for the cheese to melt
Serve at the table immediately

So yes, not a low-fat meal, but so, so yummy and much smoother than a standard mac n cheese recipe, without a hint of grittiness. If you fancy it, you could stir in some fresh peas, cooked broccoli or washed baby spinach just before the grana padano stage.

As you can see, I cooked this stunningly creamy one-pot meal in a Le Creuset 24cm deep casserole dish, with a 6 litre capacity.

This handsome pot has a toughened non-stick coating inside and out, which means it’s light, yet feels like you’re cooking in cast iron. I adore using it. The heat distributes very evenly and it’s safe to use with metal utensils, so cooking is a breeze.

With attractive, stainless steel riveted handles, you might think it’s only for stove-top use only, but in fact this pot is safe to place in the oven in temperatures up to 260C (or 220C if the glass lid is used).

It’s also safe to use on any heat source including gas, electric, ceramic, radiant ring and induction hobs, plus the whole lot can be placed in the dishwasher when you’re done.

I’m completely smitten with this pot and will be using it to cook just about everything from now on.

As a teen, I often cooked in my mum’s classic orange Le Creuset pot that she’d owned since the 70s and which she still uses today. When this brand says lifetime guarantee, they’re not kidding.

If this post has sparked or re-kindled your love of Le Creuset, log on to Twitter on Thursday 2nd October at 5pm to join @gbchefs and @lecreusetuk for a live Q & A, where you can pose all your questions about one pot cooking using the hashtag #onepotcooking.

This is a commissioned post for Le Creuset and Great British Chefs