Name: Baked Tomato Mac n Cheese Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni; 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes; 6 tablespoons butter; 0.25 cup flour; 1 quart half-and-half; 2 cups chicken broth; 4 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese; 2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese; fresh ground black pepper to taste; 1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz®), crushed

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a baking dish.

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain, return macaroni to pot, and stir tomatoes into the macaroni. Cook over medium heat until the macaroni absorbs some of the liquid from the tomatoes, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 3

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook until bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly stream half-and-half and chicken broth into the butter mixture while stirring. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook while stirring continually until thickened and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Remove saucepan from heat. Melt mild Cheddar cheese and sharp Cheddar cheese into the butter mixture one handful at a time, stirring to incorporate each addition before adding the next. Season the cheese mixture with pepper and pour over the macaroni; stir to coat pasta evenly. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with crushed crackers.

Step 5

Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden brown and the liquid is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Tomato Mac n Cheese Casserole

Ingredients

Instructions