It may look like a pile of pasta mush but trust me, it’s unreal.Last night, I was halfway through making my usual cheesy pasta (technically not macaroni as I used mixed pasta shells) when I realised that I had NO mustard in the cupboard. Nothing, not even a little slither.
I had already showered and got into my pyjamas so popping to the shop was obviously out of the question but I really still needed something to give my dinner that familiar ‘punch’.
That’s when my partner, who is admittedly far more adventurous in the kitchen than I am, suggested adding a dollop of horseradish.
Horseradish is, dare I say it, better than mustard in cheesy pasta
I thought he’d lost his mind. I hate horseradish – I can’t even handle the smell of it. But thanks to hanger getting dangerously close to kicking in and a desperate need to have dinner and watch Battlestar Galactica, I trusted him.
Once we had created the roux using flour, milk and double cream as we were a little low on milk, we stirred in around half a tablespoon of horseradish, some garlic seasoning, italian herbs and grated cheese.
I tasted it and outwardly groaned. It was unreal. Nutty, tangy, cheesy, ugh.
I honestly could have eaten it there and then but we chose to crisp up the dish by baking it for 10 minutes at 180°C. To add extra crunch, we topped the pasta with breadcrumbs, cripsy onions and for a little more flavour, dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Then it was time to dig in, finally.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but the horseradish really brought this to life. I actually think even once we do have mustard back in our cupboard, I’ll still opt for horseradish over it. Every single bite was heavenly.
I couldn’t recommend this more, please let me know if you try it.
Brb, I’m off to eat my leftovers.
