Macaroni cheese help. Why does it always do this?!

[workatemylife]

LOs have acquired a taste for macaroni cheese recently, and I've been making batches of it for family consumption. I've tried a traditional cheese sauce recipe, and the microwave cheese sauce recipe praised by some MNetters. I've also tried a cream cheese based sauce. It looks fine in the pan. It looks okay when I mix it with the pasta. Then I put it in the over and top with grated cheese to bubble for about 20 mins. It comes out with pasta okay, sauce tasting okay, but basically reduced to a think sticky coating on the pasta rather than the cheesy, gloopy comfort food that I dream about. I've tried making more sauce (1.5 time the recipes for the quantity of pasta), but still the same. What am I doing wrong? Do I need even more sauce? Do I need the sauce to be runnier than it is (lob some more milk in before adding pasta and baking). I can, usually, cook reasonably well but for some reason this is defeating me!

[ilovepowerhoop]

if it is thickening up when cooking then yes, it may be worth making the cheese sauce runnier to start with.

[hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman]

Have you tried adding an egg to the sauce before you combine it with the pasta? Beat an egg and stir it through the sauce while it's off the heat.

[TheProvincialLady]

More sauce with less flour in it.

[TheProvincialLady]

Egg will make it firmer,not runnier,

[FireOverBabylon]

I use this recipe, which is gorgeous. Putting breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni cheese may stop liquid evaporating.

[MisselthwaiteManor]

Maybe don't put it in the oven at all? I don't always bother as I like it runnier. I use toast to make 'cooked' breadcrumbs, mix with very finely grated cheese and sprinkle over the top once you've plated up, it'll melt.

[workatemylife]

Thank you for all the advice. I like the look of that recipe link, not least because it confirms that more liquid might be needed. But I might also try the grilling rather than baking method which would might stop the thickening as well. Yum!