Tomato Topped Mac Cheese Recipes

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH STEWED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain, rinse and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, heat the 3 cups of milk, butter, salt and pepper until hot but not boiling.
• In a small bowl or cup, combine 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch and stir until dissolved.
• Slowly add this to the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• When mixture has thickened, remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheese until melted.
• Pour pasta into a large mixing bowl and add the cheese mixture and the stewed tomatoes.
• Mix well until macaroni is well coated.
• Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish or 3 quart casserole and top with remaining cheese.
• Bake for 35 to 45, or until golden brown.

QUICK TOMATO MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• I think this is the best macaroni cheese recipe ever (even though it's a bit naughty)! I've used sweet tomatoes in my recipe as they really complement the cheese, and instead of béchamel sauce I've used single cream as it's a lot lighter. I've also topped the dish off with cheesy breadcrumbs, which give it a wonderful crunch. I think you'll laugh when you see how easy it is to make. I put it together extremely quickly by using my Magimix food processor. Don't worry if you haven't got one - you can chop it all up by hand instead and then mix it in a bowl.
• Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Get a pan of salted boiling water going and cook your macaroni according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, break your bread up, place it in the food processor and whiz it up to form breadcrumbs. Set aside. Wash your tomatoes and place them in the food processor with the garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz up for 30 seconds. Then add 2 handfuls of the Parmesan, the cream, vinegar and grated nutmeg. Whiz until smooth and season carefully to taste so it's really yummy!
• By this time your macaroni will probably be cooked, so drain it in a colander, saving some of the cooking water. Place the pasta back into the pan and pour over every last bit of the cheesy sauce. You want it to be quite loose because you'll be surprised how quickly the sauce will disappear inside the macaroni and will look dry. So add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water. Now you need to get yourself a baking dish about 8-10cm deep - this could be an earthenware dish or even a shallow ovenproof pan. Pour the pasta straight into your baking dish and break the mozzarella into little pieces over the top. Mix the last handful of Parmesan with the thyme leaves and breadcrumbs and sprinkle evenly over the top of the dish. Drizzle generously with good extra virgin olive oil - this will give you a lovely crunch topping.
• Place in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until piping hot and golden on top. Serve straight away, sprinkled with a little extra Parmesan. Best eaten with a nice salad - and you'll love it.

BAKED TOMATO MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
• Whisk milk and flour together in a small bowl.
• Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pour in milk/flour mixture; stir constantly until thickened. Add most of the cheese, reserving a few tablespoons to sprinkle over top before baking. Mix in drained tomatoes, and salsa verde. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Season to taste with black pepper. Stir in macaroni and thoroughly blend with the sauce.
• Divide among individual serving-sized ovenproof baking dishes or ramekins. Top with remaining cheese. and bake 10 minutes. Place under broiler for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until top is browned.
• Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook until tops are browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.

TOMATO MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.
• Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, until tender. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard and paprika; mix well. Stir in the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Toss in the macaroni and pour into the prepared dish. Cover the macaroni with tomato slices and season salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The last few minutes, top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
• Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

BAKED TOMATO MAC N CHEESE CASSEROLE

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.

TOMATO SOUP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch square (or 2-quart) baking dish with butter.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta until is al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions, and drain.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the flour, onion powder, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook for about 30 seconds.
• Whisk in the condensed tomato soup and milk and bring to a simmer, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, then stir in the Cheddar and American cheese with a wooden spoon. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish pan. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with your hand, then sprinkle over the pasta.
• Bake until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

TOMATO-TOPPED MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare Dinner as directed on package.
• Top with tomatoes.

STOVE TOP MACARONI AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to direcions.
• Drain and return to pot.
• Add tomatoes including juices and heat on low/medium until hot.
• If using diced or whole tomatoes, crush.
• Be careful macaroni doesn't stick to bottom of pot - stir frequently!
• I have added butter and/or cheese whiz for additional flavour.
• Depending on amount of macaroni cooked, I have used 28 oz can of tomatoes.
• I have also used italian style tomatoes and chili tomatoes which give it a slightly different flavour, but plain tomatoes are best for our family preference. I have tried canned tomatoes with olive oil and spices (to be used for brushetta) and they are too oily and doesn't result have good results.

CHEESE-TOPPED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Sprinkle cut side of tomatoes with salt, bread crumbs, cheese and onion. Drizzle with butter. , Prepare grill for indirect heat. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

TOMATO MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add the milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the cheese, salt, mustard and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Drain pasta; stir into cheese sauce. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in tomatoes just until combined.

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE WITH BROILED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Slice tomatoes into thick rounds, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Broil until tomatoes start to brown, about 8 minutes; let cool slightly. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 2 minutes less than per package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
• Return empty pot to medium heat and add butter. When butter melts and foams, add flour and whisk until darkened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mustard powder and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add cheese in 3 batches, starting with American. Follow with 2 cups cheddar and 1 cup Parmesan. Whisk to fully combine after adding each cheese. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss pasta with cheese sauce and reserved pasta water. Transfer to an 8-inch baking dish.
• In a bowl, mix panko with melted butter and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup cheddar. Top pasta with broiled tomatoes and panko mixture. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes.