BAKED TOMATO MAC N CHEESE CASSEROLE

Baked Tomato Mac n Cheese Casserole image

Kids and adults will find this mac-n-cheese recipe to be delicious and a bit different. Tomatoes give the sauce a slight pinkish color and a flavor that is hard to top.

Provided by Goodfella

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

Time 55m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter
¼ 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

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a baking dish.
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.
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.
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.
Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden brown and the liquid is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 889 calories, Carbohydrate 62.6 g, Cholesterol 156.3 mg, Fat 55.4 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 34.1 g, SaturatedFat 32.9 g, Sodium 922.4 mg, Sugar 5.3 g