Cook Macaroni in a Microwave Oven, Just 4 Minutes

I cook macaroni in a microwave oven as it’s fast, easy, foolproof and produces no condensation or steam.  It takes just 4 minutes to produce macaroni, which can then be used in microwave macaroni cheese, pasta salad, or just as macaroni to serve with a chilli, stew or curry.  For a fast lunch this is one of my “go to” options, when I really can’t be waiting for rice (which takes 10 minutes) …. sometimes, you’ve just gotta eat NOW!

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This, for me, is the easiest and quickest way to cook macaroni – especially as I’m cooking for one person, so am dealing with small portions.  It wouldn’t make sense to bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then stand over a hot pan of macaroni while it steams up the kitchen for ages 🙂   The macaroni is always cooked perfectly as I am cooking it in 1 minute blasts, then checking it and adding more boiling water (from a kettle) if/when required.

You’ll need just:

• 75-100 grams of macaroni per portion
• A tiny splash of oil
• A pinch of salt
• A deep microwave safe dish
• Boiling water.

Microwave Macaroni Recipe:

1. Place your macaroni in your microwave safe dish.  The deeper the dish the better.  Try to use a dish where the macaroni can be spread out as much as possible, rather than being a deep pile.
2. Add a tiny amount of oil to the macaroni, just a little!  Add the pinch of salt.
   
3. Cover the macaroni with boiling water so there’s just ¼” to ½” of water covering it.  You will be adding further water in a bit.
4. Microwave the macaroni for 1½ minutes on high power.  Stir the macaroni and add a little more water if required.  You just need enough water to keep the macaroni covered completely.
5. Microwave the macaroni for a further 1½ minutes on high power.  Stir the macaroni again and add a little more water if required.
6. Microwave the macaroni for a further 1 minute and then test it.  If it’s still a little undercooked, simply repeat for a further 1 minute.  Once cooked, you can either set the macaroni to one side while you pull the rest of your meal together, or drain it – if left in the water the macaroni will continue to cook, so which you choose to do will depend on whether it’s fully cooked now or could benefit from sitting in the hot water for 1-2 minutes more.
   
7. Drain off the water, serve, or add to your recipe if you’re just cooking the macaroni as a starter to a larger meal!  If you’re making a cold pasta salad, then tip the macaroni into a bowl of cold water.

It couldn’t be easier could it!  And just one small dish to wash up.

Microwave Macaroni Cheese

Today I wanted to cook macaroni to have macaroni cheese for lunch.  I added a microwave cheese sauce to the macaroni and mixed it through, then splashed a little brown sauce on top!

I even ate directly from my cooking dish to save washing up 🙂  The joys of cooking for one, there are no points for presentation!

Macaroni Cheese Cost:

If I’d bought a cheap macaroni cheese at a supermarket it’d have cost me £1-2.  My own made from scratch macaroni cheese probably cost me about 60p.  I know what’s in it and my portion was probably a little larger than the supermarket version!  The cheese is the most expensive ingredient and I typically use budget supermarket own brand mature cheddar cheese, costing under £5/Kg and using about 30-50p of cheese.