This incredible Christmas mac and cheese is made with sage, smoky pancetta and sausage meat for that nostalgic festive taste.

I also include cauliflower in this festive American style mac and cheese so it can be enjoyed as a meal by itself.

This festive pasta dish is so delicious that I would argue it could be served as the Christmas centre piece!

The sausage meat, pancetta and sage bring a stuffing-like taste that goes beautifully with the cheesy pasta and cauliflower.

The Ingredients

For the Christmassy sausage meat: smoked pancetta, sausage meat, sage, onion. Be sure to use smoked pancetta and not unsmoked, and try to get the best sausage meat you can. These ingredients are cooked together in a frying pan until the sausage is gnarly and golden.
For the cheesy sauce – butter, flour, milk, cheddar cheese. Because the sausage mix is so flavourful, the cheese sauce is uncomplicated. Cheddar is a great strong cheese to use here.
Other ingredients– macaroni, cauliflower, sage, breadcrumbs. You can use any short pasta. The sage is used to decorate the pasta bake, and the breadcrumbs add a delicious crunch to each bite.

Top Tips

Making the cheese sauce – The base of the cheese sauce is a simple bechamel. You melt the butter, stir in the flour then whisk in the milk. Don’t worry if it goes lumpy – keep whisking and it will eventually thicken. When the sauce is thick, you stir in the grated cheese.
Making the sausage mix – The key to success in this recipe is making sure that you cook the sausage meat until it is golden. You want the crisp little bits of sausage meat throughout the festive mac and cheese.
Get ahead – This Christmas macaroni cheese can be made ahead of time and frozen. Simply leave to cool then put in the freezer for up to three months. When you want to eat it, defrost thoroughly then bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

This is macaroni cheese for the festive season! With sausage meat, pancetta, sage and cauliflower.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Serving Size People

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to packet instructions. Add the cauliflower florets for the last two minutes of the cooking time. Drain and set aside.
Put the pancetta in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the fat has started to be released. Add the sausage meat. Break it up with your wooden spoon and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden.
Peel and chop the onion. Chop 6 of the sage leaves. Add the onion and sage to the frying pan – cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Turn off the heat, then gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Turn the heat back on and bring the sauce to a gently simmer, still whisking, until the sauce thickens. Stir in 200g of the cheese.
Get a large ovenproof dish. Put the macaroni and cauliflower, sausage meat mix and cheese sauce in the dish. Mix until evenly combined. Top with the remaining cheese, breadcrumbs and sage leaves. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Looking for more festive recipes? Why not try: