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macaroni

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

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Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
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You also will love this creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese! Honestly, there are few that don’t love Macaroni and Cheese. It is a side dish so versatile that you can serve it along side so many main courses. For instance,

This is the perfect dish to have with just other vegetables. A pot of beans and cornbread. Mustard greens and mac n’ cheese are the perfect combination.

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

I like to use the large elbow macaroni shells. I think they are the best for this dish. I know some like to use Penne but I really like the elbow shells. I bought these the other day and they were great: https://amzn.to/3BYSz2w. A nice brand and the shells were big.

Ronzoni Large Elbows Pasta No. 74 (3 Boxes)

Don’t let Macaroni and Cheese intermediate you if you haven’t made it before and please make it from scratch. There are just a few easy steps.

  • Boil the pasta and drain.
  • Make the cheese sauce by combining the butter and flour and whisking in the cream/milk.
  • Cook the sauce until it has thickened
  • Add the shredded cheeses and combine until melted.
  • Combine cheese sauce with cooked pasta.
  • Transfer half of the mac and cheese to a baking dish, add some of the shredded cheese.
  • Top with the remaining macaroni and cheese and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
  • Dot the finished mac and cheese with Velveeta cubes.

You can use your choice of cheeses. In this recipe I just used Medium Cheddar, Monterrey Jack Cheese and Velveeta. Other cheeses I like to use in Mac n Cheese are Muenster, Gouda, Gruyere, Fontina, Colby and American.

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

love this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

Here you go with this great recipe! I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

You will love this creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese! Honestly, there are few that don't love Macaroni and Cheese. It is a side dish so versatile that you can serve it along side so many main courses.
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Servings: 4 servings
Course: easy side dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups large elbow macaroni
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch smoked paprika
  • 1 cup mild to medium cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
  • 6-8 1 inch cubes Velveeta cheese

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter your casserole dish.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender. Drain the pasta.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the flour and cook, while whisking a couple of minutes until it starts to turn a little tan in color.
  4. Add the heavy cream and milk and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of black pepper in my macaroni and cheese. Add the onion powder, garlic powder and a pinch of smoked paprika. Taste and add additional seasonings if desired.
  5. Add the Cheddar cheese and the Monterrey Jack Cheese (or other cheeses you choose) reserving the Velveeta cubes. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until completely melted.
  6. Add the cooked macaroni into the cream sauce and combine.
  7. Add half of the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Add half of the cheese and the Velveeta cubes. Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with the remaining grated cheese. If you need more milk add it at this time. I prefer a finished dish that is really creamy.
  8. Place in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and golden. Enjoy!

The Best Chili Mac

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Chili Mac

Remember the Texas Chili I made the other day? Well, this Chili Mac is from the leftover chili! Most recipes you find for this recipe are with ground beef and I can never differentiate them from Goulash. It just seems so many of the ingredients are what you put in goulash??!! Chili Mac to me says Chili and Macaroni! Isn’t that what you think? Like Cincinnati Chili and Spaghetti? Yes, Exactly. That’s what it should be.

Chili Mac

The chili recipe is at this link: https://the2spoons.com/i-love-this-instant-pot-texas-chili/.

Texas Chili
Texas Chili

This recipe is so easy, loaded with macaroni and cheese, this is the ultimate casserole, ready and on the table in about 30 minutes! Also great for using up leftover chili well worth making straight from scratch!

Chili Mac

The Best Chili Mac

I added sautéed onions and bell peppers along with diced tomatoes. I used Mutti tomatoes because they have a great flavor. Here’s a link if you’re not familiar https://amzn.to/37qBRKI.

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Chili Mac

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Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
  • 1 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/2-1 lb macaroni
  • leftover homemade chili, or a good quality store bought chili
  • 1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped to garnish

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook your macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet then add the onions and peppers. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add a little salt and pepper and the chili powder. Add the tomatoes and combine. Add the leftover chili, stir to combine and heat through. If you think it's not juicy enough, add a little water, tomato juice or beef stock to loosen the mixture. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese.
  3. Add the macaroni to the chili mixture and toss to combine, but don't over stir. . Butter a casserole dish and add the mixture. Dot the dish with the cubed Velveeta. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and cook until bubbly and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Awesome Macaroni with Fresh Tomatoes from the Garden

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Macaroni and Tomatoes
Macaroni and Tomatoes

Macaroni with Fresh Tomatoes is another Southern recipe I grew up eating. My mother and grandmother both would make this dish. It is really good and comforting. I used fresh san marzano tomatoes from my garden that just made this recipe so much more satisfying. I did a quick hot bath on the tomatoes so that the skin would easily come off!

After I sauted bell peppers and onions, I added the fresh tomatoes to the mixture.

Macaroni with fresh tomatoes
Macaroni with fresh tomatoes

This is really an easy recipe, but it is super satisfying. Honestly, I could just eat a bowl of this and a piece of cornbread and eat nothing else! The freshness of the tomatoes and the sauce they make with the vegetables is amazing. I always add the Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor to enhance the liquid. Here’s a link if you aren’t familiar with this ingredient. It really makes a difference. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/knorr-tomato-bouillon-w-chicken-flavor-35-3-oz/160906.ip

I served this recipe with my Smothered Cabbage and it was the perfect addition. Here’s my smothered cabbage link: https://the2spoons.com/smothered-cabbage-with-potatoes-smoked-sausage/

Here you go! Enjoy!

Macaroni with Fresh Tomatoes from the Garden

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the fresh tomatoes
  • 8-10 just picked san marzano tomatoes or 4 large fresh tomatoes
  • water to cover
For the Macaroni and tomatoes
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 cups fresh tomatoes (You can substitute for a can of a quality brand of diced tomatoes)
  • 1 1/2 cups macaroni
  • 1 1/2 cups water (more is needed as you cook)
  • 1 Knorr tomato bouillon with chicken flavor
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • pinch of sugar if your tomatoes are too tart

Method
 

For the tomatoes
  1. Cut an X in the top of each tomato to allow for easy peeling. Bring a pot of water to a boil. When at a rolling boil, add your tomatoes to the water and cook for a couple of minutes until you see the skin starting to release from the tomato. Remove from the heat and when they have cooled a little, peel them over a bowl to not lose any of the juices. .Then squeeze them to chop them up in chunks. You don't want to puree them, just use your hands to chop them up a little. You will need about 2 cups of the finished tomatoes.
For the Macaroni and Fresh Tomatoes from the Garden
  1. Add the butter and extra virgin olive oil to a saucepan and sauté your peppers and onions until they have softened and the onions have become translucent. Add your tomatoes, the water and bouillon and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the macaroni, stir to combine, lower heat and cover. Cook until your macaroni is tender, 15 to 20 minutes, adding water if needed. Enjoy!
Macaroni with Fresh Tomatoes
Smothered Cabbage
Smothered Cabbage

Macaroni and Cheese

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Macaroni and Cheese

This isn't one of the fancy Mac n' Cheese with 6 or 7 cheese; this is the Mac n' Cheese that I made for my boys when they were growing up. This has 2 cheeses, American and Cheddar. See, not sophisticated, just a simple recipe that everyone will love! When I made this for my boys I used Velveeta.....Yes!!! Haha! Still do and you can too!
Perfect comfort food! Great by itself, or a side dish with main course comfort foods like fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken fried stead.....You have to try this!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups elbow macaroni (I like the large)
  • salted water
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 1/2 cups milk (I like to use whole milk in recipes)
  • 2 cups american cheese or Velveeta, diced
  • 1 cup cheddar, grated (medium or sharp)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • buttered bread crumbs, optional

Method
 

  1. Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.  In the meantime, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the flour, making a roux.  Cook for a minute or 2 to get the raw flour taste out.  Add the milk and whisk together to insure no lumps.  Bring to a boil and thicken the sauce.  Add the cheese  and stir until melted.  Check for salt and pepper.  Add the cooked macaroni and combine.  Transfer to a buttered casserole or individual casserole dish.  I add buttered bread crumbs and place under your broiler just to brown on the top.!! Serve immediately or can be frozen for later.