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baked mac & cheese with tomatoes

(1 rating)
Andy59 avatar
Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
@Andy59
Wichita, KS

As the winds begin blowing from the north, and the nights get longer, we turn our attention to comfort foods. I love comfort foods, and a good macaroni and cheese definitely qualifies as one of my top ten. My mother used to make this basic comfort food, in the Autumn, and Winter months when we lived in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL. She claimed the recipe came from a restaurant she went to in New York City; however, she neglected to give the name. Anyway, put another log on the fire; curl up with a good book, and a hearty bowl of M&C… Enjoy.

(1 rating)
yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For baked mac & cheese with tomatoes

  • 1/4 lb
    classic macaroni, elbow variety
  • 2 Tbsp
    sweet butter, unsalted
  • 2 Tbsp
    flour, all purpose
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt, table variety
  • 1 pinch
    freshly ground white pepper
  • 1 pinch
    cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 c
    whole milk
  • 2 Tbsp
    heavy cream
  • 1 c
    extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 c
    panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 c
    diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp
    sugar, granulated

How To Make baked mac & cheese with tomatoes

  • 1
    Place the tomatoes in a small prep bowl, add the sugar, and gently mix. Set bowl aside. Chef's Note: There are a lot of excellent canned tomatoes, out there, but one that is pretty much available in the U.S. are Hunt's… Good value… Good tomatoes.
  • 2
    Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling water until al dente. Then drain, and rinse in a colendar using cool water, to stop the cooking process.
  • 3
    Chef’s Note: In cooking, al dente describes pasta and that have been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. Keeping the pasta firm is especially important in baked dishes, where the pasta is cooked twice. The term "al dente" comes from Italian and means "to the tooth" or "to the bite", and is referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness. One other point: Pasta that is cooked al dente has a lower glycemic index than pasta that is cooked soft.
  • 4
    Mix the flour, salt, and the peppers, together in a small prep bowl.
  • 5
    In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter, and then gradually add the flour mixture.
  • 6
    Whisk until you have a smooth blonde roux, about 3 minutes.
  • 7
    Mix the milk, and the cream together, and then slowly add to the roux. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  • 8
    Add the cheese, and continue to stir over medium heat until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
  • 9
    Add the drained macaroni to the sauce, plus the reserved tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of the panko breadcrumbs, then gently stir to combine. Add the mixture to an ovenproof dish, and sprinkle the remaining panko breadcrumbs over the top.
  • 10
    Place on the middle rack of a preheated 400f (200c) oven, and bake until bubbly, and the top begins to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes.
  • 11
    Enjoy. Keep the faith, and keep cooking…
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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