"extraordinary" Macaroni and Cheese
"Easy and versitile mac and cheese recipe. I adapted this from a recipe I found on the back of a box of elbows. I especially like that you don't cook the pasta in advance."
photo by Outta Here
- Ready In:
- 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
4 cups
- Serves:
- 4
ingredients
- 1⁄2 lb small shell pasta (elbows,pipette,etc)
- 1⁄4 cup butter
- 1 cup onion (1 small, chopped) (optional)
- 1⁄8 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (I use seasoned salt)
- 3 cups milk (I use skim)
- 1 1⁄2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes (diced or stewed, undrained)
- 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded for top (optional)
directions
- Melt butter in 4-qt saucepan over med heat. Add onions and saute until transparent. Stir in flour and salt. Cook 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Add milk, stir to blend. Add tomatoes, juice and all. Bring to a low, steady simmer. Add uncooked pasta. Cover and continue to simmer gently for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Mixture will thicken as it is cooking.).
- Remove from heat. Add cheese. Stir gently until cheese is melted. Let sit 5 minutes fefore serving.
- Note: For a cheesier version put in a casserole dish and top with an additional 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown.
- For an Italian twist try substituting the Cheddar cheese with 1 Cup fontina cheese and 1/2 Cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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Reviews
-
This was a good dish. Next time I'd be sure I had Season Salt to use as I think it could use the extra kick. I also might add some dry mustard like my usual mac and cheese recipe. However, some of this flavor I missed could have been fixed by using tomatoes with more spice as mine were plain diced with no added salt. I put the extra cheese on top and broiled. It was overall a good, easy dish with ingredients I had on hand. Thanks for sharing! -
This is very tasty, but took longer to get my pasta done than if I had boiled it first. Everything else was great and next time I will pre-cook the pasta and than mix everything else in. I also did the extra cheese under the broiler. I love tomatoes in my mac n' cheese. I will try it also with the Italian option given. Made for Spring 2010 PAC. -
I doubled this recipe & made it to take to a couple of neighbors for whom I sometimes cook ~ They got about 2/3 of it & I kept the rest for the 2 of us! I don't usually include tomatoes in my mac & cheese, but it held its own in this recipe! I did include the optional cheese on top ~ The cheesier, the better, in my book! [Made & reviewed in New Kids on the Block tag]
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
closet chef in ma
Plymouth, MA
<p>Happily married to my best friend (and recipezaar critic) for almost 32 years. Mother to 2,grandmother to 2. Been a member since 2006 and I love..love..love this site. Everytime I try something new, hubby says "thank you Recipezaar". This is my go to site for any and all recipes. These days a "bad day" is when the internet is down and I can't browse this site! I guess my favorite hobby is cooking recipes I find on Recipezaar.</p>
