Thursday, January 19, 2012

Pink Macaroni & Cheese


My kids love mac & cheese...from a box. We've gone through a half dozen recipes trying to find what they dislike about the homemade version. We finally figured out they don't like the consistency of a flour thickened cheese sauce. OK...

I was flattened to find out how easy it is to make mac & cheese if you don't bother making cheese sauce. Ready for it?

a box of mac, cooked and drained.
a can of crushed tomatoes
a pint of 1/2 & 1/2 (even the fat-free version)
a bag of shredded cheese...we like the mexican blend, but cheddar, colby jack, and Italian have all done right by us. This is a great way to use up all your cheesy odds and ends.

That is IT. Plop it in a pan and bake until bubbly...like 30 minutes.
My kiddos are particular, so they like a crunchy top, but not with breadcrumbs. So...I put slivers of butter on top. They also like bacon in it. I'm just glad they're not eating neon cheese.

4 comments:

Courtney Wright said...

Sounds so easy and delicious. Want to make it tonight but have a question about the measurements. How many oz/lb is the box of noodles? Same for bag of cheese and can of crushed tomatoes? Just want to make sure I get the right sizes...

Unknown said...

It's a one pound box of pasta...a 2 cup bag of shredded cheese which I think is 8 oz. The can of crush tomatoes is...um, a big one? Not the soup can 14 oz size, it's the next size up. 30 oz I think?

Courtney Wright said...

Made this tonight...I LOVED it. Hubby was on the fence. I used mild cheddar cheese and dotted with butter as you suggested. I'll try it next time with the mexican blend you and your kids prefer...anddddd the bacon YUM :-)

musicgirl1201 said...

tastes good and is easy...but too tomatoey...tasted more like spaghetti than mac n cheese.