Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

It was time for another cooking soup recipe.  This turned out to be easy peasy and although not quite like your original mac and cheese, it was good.  However, if you're craving the regular, you might be disappointed with this.  I served it with some chicken strips I had in the freezer (also 400*, win!).  Also, the recipe below is what was on the back of the can and what I made.  The version on the website uses the shells and adds broccoli.  I used whole milk and the shredded cheddar I found at the store.


8 oz uncooked medium shell pasta or rotini
1 can Campbell's Condensed Creamy Cauliflower Soup
1 1/2 cups shredded 2% cheddar
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Cook and drain pasta.  Meanwhile, heat oven to 400*.
2.  Stir all ingredients in 1 1/2 quart casserole.
3.  Bake 20 minutes or until hot.

Salsa Mac and Cheese

The boyfriend found this recipe a couple of days ago.  It was time to try something new, so I figured why not.  I can't say I'm always keen on playing with my mac and cheese, but I do love salsa and sour cream.  I'm glad I decided to try this one!!

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked small shell pasta, cooked and drained
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 cups 2 % milk
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 4 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 (16 oz.) jar of your favorite Medium Salsa

Instructions

1. Cook macaroni until al dente, drain, and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large pan, under medium heat, melt the butter.
4. Add the flour, and stir until smooth for about a minute.
5. Stir in the milk and sour cream while stirring until thick.
6. Add the salt and pepper and stir.
7. Stir in the cheese until melted.
8. Add the salsa, stir.
9. Add the macaroni and mix well.
10. Pour into a casserole dish, and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
11. Serve hot.
12. Serves 6.
13. *To freeze- prepare as usual, but do not bake. Cool, cover and freeze in a freezer and oven safe container. When ready to eat, move to the refrigerator overnight to defrost, and bake as usual in the evening.
14. Enjoy!

Smoky Four Cheese Macaroni Bake

The boyfriend found this recipe a few years ago, but we haven't made it again because I found some other macaroni and cheese recipes to try and, well, one can only eat so much mac and cheese.  But I've been thinking of this one lately and thought it was time to make it again.  I love the addition of the liquid smoke.  And all the different types of cheese.  I used preshredded cheeses from the store, and because of that, used a colby-jack blend.  And a whole pound of elbow pasta - I don't think I've seen it in 12 ounce packages (although that was a mistake as I lost track and dumped the whole box into the boiling water before I remembered that it was only supposed to be 12oz).


1 (12 ounce) package macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,cubed
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, and continue cooking until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes more. Slowly stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Stir in the half-and-half and milk, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in mustard powder and liquid smoke; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, along with the cream cheese, Swiss, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheeses; stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the drained macaroni noodles. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs over the macaroni
Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Mac 'n' Cheese For One

I found this recipe years ago in the Taste of Home annual cookbook.  I think it was the first time I made macaroni and cheese that wasn't from a box.  I wasn't as sure about the mustard and these days I probably wouldn't bother chopping a whole onion for the half teaspoon needed for the recipe unless I was planning something else.  I would guess that dried minced onion would work just fine (generally about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals about 1 Tablespoon of fresh).  I love finding recipes that make single serving amounts and figured others might enjoy seeing them as well (no picture as I haven't made it recently).

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chopped onion
3 tablespoons elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 saltines, crushed

Directions
In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter; stir in flour, salt and
pepper. Whisk in milk until smooth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce
and onion; stir until cheese is melted. Add macaroni. Transfer to a
greased 1-cup baking dish. Sprinkle with saltines; dot with
remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15 minutes or
until heated through. Yield: 1 serving.

Beer Macaroni & Cheese

What a yummy mac and cheese!  Although it doesn't call for much beer, it's just the right amount to make a very good sauce.  And the bacon takes it over the top.

I used a special reserve extra sharp cheddar which has a great taste, but doesn't melt well.  The texture of my sauce was a little grainy.  The fontina is tangy enough, so I think next time I'll make it with regular cheddar instead of something quite so sharp.

I halved the recipe -- as written you can make it in a 9 x 13 pan which will feed a crowd!  Plus it's awfully rich, so you can't eat as much as you THINK you can.

This recipe comes from the February/March 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Beer Macaroni & Cheese

1 pkg (16 oz) elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
3/4 cup amber beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups (8 oz) shredded fontina cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 Tbsp minced chives
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add garlic.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth.  Gradually whisk in the milk, beer and cream.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat.  Stir in 2 cups of cheddar, the fontina, and 1 Tbsp of the Parmesan until melted.  Add chives.

Drain macaroni.  Stir into sauce.  Transfer to a greased 3-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.  Top with crumbled bacon.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Mix and Match Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe for homemade mac and cheese is fantastic! 

The best part of this recipe from Fine Cooking magazine is you can customize it to fit your own tastes.  Click here for the interactive that will walk you through the choices and measurements for each ingredient.  When you're done dragging things into your bowl, your customized recipe will appear.  You can email, save, or print it.

This is what I chose:

Macroni: shells

Cheese:  extra sharp cheddar (plus I added some swiss)

Accent Cheese:  parmesean

Add Ins:  bacon and scallions

Herbs and Spices:  dry mustard, sage, nutmeg (about half what is suggested - it wants you to choose one, but a combination is better in my book!)

Have fun with different combinations!  I want to try something else, but the above combination was soooooooo good.....!

Ham 'n' Cheese Bow Ties

This is another recipe from my latest Taste of Home casseroles booklet (and can be found online). It was fairly simple to put together, and the cheese melted quickly! I used the Rachael Ray (where I've seen it anyway) trick of a microplane for the garlic so there aren't any chunks. The only pre-shredded Colby cheese I could find at the store was a Colby-Jack blend, so I went with that. It is *so* cheesy that I would say that you probably don't need to bother with the extra half cup of cheese (since the packages are labeled approximately 2 cups), although I haven't tried it to be sure. I now have 1 1/2 cups of shredded colby-jack to find a use for though. The only other thing I would do differently is to make the ham a bit more bite sized as my julienned strips were a bit longer than I liked in hindsight. We had green salad alongside to balance out all the cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
• 2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
• 6 to 8 ounces fully cooked ham, julienned
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta and ham; stir until coated.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Marvelous Shells 'n' Cheese

This came from a Taste of Home casseroles booklet (the kind you find at the check out at the store). I wasn't entirely sure about the cottage cheese in it, but I thought the Velveeta would make it quick. Well, it took much longer than I anticipated to melt the Velveeta, and the cottage cheese is not noticeable at all, at least not by flavor, in the dish. So, even though it wasn't what I anticipated, it was very tasty and very, very cheesy. Definitely one I'll make again. And it's a handy way to use up any Velveeta you have in the fridge from another recipe.

1 package (16 oz) medium pasta shells
1 package (8 oz) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 cups (16 0z) 2% cottage cheese
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted
3 cups (12 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine process cheese and milk; cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cottage cheese and soup.
Drain pasta and add to cheese sauce; stir until coated. Transfer to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend. Toss bread crumbs with butter; sprinkle over the top.
Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
6 servings