Green mac ’n’ cheese

Serves 4-5

350g macaroni 100g sourdough, torn into pieces 30g blanched almonds 50g butter 1 small brown onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 30g plain flour 700ml milk 100g mature cheddar, grated ½ tbsp dijon mustard 1 tsp thyme leaves 65g vegetarian grating cheese, grated 150g frozen peas, defrosted 30g baby spinach 6g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked 6g basil leaves Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water for 2 mins less than the instructions on the packet, then drain under cold water to stop the pasta cooking further.

2 Meanwhile, whizz the sourdough and almonds in a food processor until a smallish crumb forms, then set aside.

3 Heat the butter in a large saucepan and cook the onion and garlic for 2 mins until soft. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a minute until a paste forms. Gradually add 600ml of the milk, using a whisk to create a smooth white sauce.

4 Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 mins, or until the sauce has thickened slightly, then season. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar, mustard, thyme, 50g of the vegetarian grating cheese, and the peas.

5 Whizz the remaining 100ml of milk in a blender with the spinach, parsley and basil and add this mixture to the white sauce.

Fold in the macaroni and mix well to combine. Pour it into a 24 x 18cm baking dish and top with the almond crumb and remaining grated cheese.

6 Bake in the oven for 25 mins, or until the crumb topping is golden and the mac ’n’ cheese is bubbling. Leave to rest for

10 mins then serve with a few crisp salad leaves dressed with oil and a little lemon juice.

Taken from MasterChef Green by Adam O’Shepherd with contributions from MasterChef champions (Bloomsbury Absolute). Photography by Adam and Marie O’Shepherd