Cheesy pasta is so much tastier if you stir in 1 common ingredient while cooking it

Cheesy pasta is proof that the simplest dinners are often the most comforting, and I love making it on cosy evenings when I want something filling to eat. It is often considered an easy recipe, but the sauce can turn out quite bland without the right ingredients.

Milk and butter can create a creamy base, but they can dilute the natural flavour of the cheese, so you cannot really taste it. This can make cheesy pasta taste quite flat, so I have been experimenting with ways to improve it. After trying smoked paprika, chilli flakes, garlic and even jalapeños, I discovered that a few drops of Worcestershire sauce can make the best cheesy sauce imaginable.

Cheese sauce is known for being rich, but it can also taste a little one-dimensional and flat because it contains a lot of dairy.

However, Worcestershire sauce helps balance this by adding acidity, which cuts through the richness of the butter, milk, and cheese to prevent the sauce from feeling too heavy.

It simply sharpens the overall flavour, making the sauce taste more savoury, well-rounded and much cheesier.

Worcestershire sauce contains fermented ingredients that add a little saltiness and a subtle spiciness, so your cheesy pasta will be a lot tastier using just basic kitchen ingredients.

I love making cheesy pasta because it is such an easy dish, and using a little Worcestershire sauce has made it one of my favourite comfort dinners that takes less than 10 minutes to make.

How to make tastier cheesy pasta

You will need:

• 200g of pasta
• One tablespoon of flour
• 25g of butter
• Two cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 300ml of milk (room temperature)
• 100g of cheddar cheese
• 100g of Emmental cheese
• One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• One tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• Black pepper
• Any other seasonings you wish to use (such as smoked paprika, chives, parsley, etc)

Notes:

If you cannot be bothered with doing any preparation before cooking, then just swap the garlic and butter for garlic butter instead.

I also like to take the milk and butter out of the fridge about 10 minutes before cooking, as cold dairy is more likely to clump up when heated. If you want a smoother sauce, then use room-temperature ingredients.

Cheddar is used to make cheesy pasta as it has a strong flavour and melts very well, but be aware that on its own, it can taste really heavy if you use too much of it.

It is better to mix cheddar with another milder cheese for contrasting flavours, and I like to use Emmental, but you can also use mozzarella or Parmesan.

I have also not added any salt to this recipe, as the Worcestershire sauce is already quite salty, so you do not need it.

Method:

To begin, place your pasta in a pot of salted water and cook it according to the instructions on the packet. Make sure to save a small mug of pasta water before draining it.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for roughly 60 seconds before it starts to turn brown..

Add the flour and stir it into the butter until you have a paste, which is also called a roux.

Slowly pour the milk in a little at a time, stirring until you have a sauce. Be very careful as most people mess up their cheese sauce by adding too much milk, which will make it very thin and watery.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. If you want to use any other seasonings, add them at this stage.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses. Add a little at a time until they have fully melted and you have a smooth sauce.

If your sauce seems too thick, then add a little of the reserved pasta water, but if it seems too thin, then add a little more cheese.

Season the sauce with a good amount of black pepper, but avoid adding salt as the Worcestershire sauce is already quite salty.

Your cheese sauce should now be deeply cheesy and so much tastier than it normally would be.