Tuesday, September 21, 2010

epic Mac n' Cheese

Lou: So what's for dinner?
Me: Macaroni and cheese
Lou: Uh...umm...is it gonna be good...?
Me: Of course it's gonna be good!
Lou: ...I don't know....
Me: It has bacon in it.
Lou: Oh, ok good. Alright then. I'll have some.

I've been eating salads for lunch and dinner the past month (with a few slip ups...who can say no to pizza?) in an effort to try eating healthier, and kind of to see if I could actually do it.
I've had a big bag of shredded cheese (it was on super sale! I couldn't help it!) just sitting in the fridge begging for me to think of something to do with it. I finally broke down and decided to make some baked macaroni and cheese. I love me some pasta. I'm craving it!

The key to baked mac n' cheese epicness is most definitely insane amounts of cheese, crumbled ritz crackers and BACON.

I cooked a pound of elbow pasta, then mixed that in a casserole dish with two cans of stewed tomatoes (drained and chopped) and a bag of shredded italian mix cheese. Then topped it with 5 slices of crumbled cooked bacon and a sleeve of crushed ritz crackers.
Baked that all in a 350 degree oven for a half hour or so covered with foil, then took the foil off and cooked another 10-15 mins for the crackers to get all golden brown and delicious.

My only regret is not using enough cheese. I know, I know...how can that be?? I used a full bag. No, still not enough for my liking. I think next time I'll actually use TWO bags, if you can believe it. Still, it was delicious.
Possibly I'll add a can of crushed tomatoes and some pats of butter next time too, but that's just nitpicking.

4 comments:

Tati said...

Oh, looks delicious! Well, I've been cooking pasta lately, so I think it's time of doing something different for dinner tomorrow. But I'll try your Macaroni and Cheese someday!

Hugs,
Tati

magicbeanbuyer said...

mmm, it was good! and there's so much extra!

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

Nana would say add a whole stick of butter.

You can also try a classic macaroni and cheese. Make a pot of white sauce (two-and-a-half cups at least)and put the shredded cheddar in it and stir till it melts. Mix with the elbows and a little butter and bake.

magicbeanbuyer said...

Yum...I originally wanted to make classic mac n cheese, but I didn't have any butter or milk on hand.