Baked Mac N Cheese

 

Mom on Timeout

The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese of your LIFE. Outrageously cheesy, ultra creamy, and topped with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan topping, this mac and cheese recipe is most definitely a keeper. I used three different cheese and a homemade cheese sauce to take this macaroni and cheese recipe over the top. 

 CourseDinner

 CuisineAmerican

 Keywordcheese, dinner, kid friendly, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese

 Prep Time20 minutes

 Cook Time30 minutes

 Total Time1 hour

 Servings12

 Calories642kcal

 AuthorTrish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

• 16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked (or other tubular pasta)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
• 4 tbsp butter melted
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
• Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.
• Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.
• Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.
• Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.
• Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
• Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.
• Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.
• Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.
• In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Meatballs

I recently made this recipe when our local tiny commissary in South Korea was out of meatballs and I needed them for a baby shower for my friend Diana!  Many people said they liked them and I realized maybe I should make homemade meatballs more often vs buying store bought ones haha!  This recipe is easy and versatile.  Use these for party meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, meatballs subs, etc. My new go-to meatball recipe!

1 beaten egg 

1/2 c bread crumbs (Garlic & Herb for party meatballs, Italian for spaghetti)

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

8 oz lean ground beef

If putting meatballs in a sauce of some kind, you don't need to add any additional salt.  If you were having them as a stand alone item without any sauce, add a little bit of salt, maybe 1/2 tsp or so.  

Place all items in a big bowl and mix with hands until well combined.  Then form standard sized meatballs (about golf ball sized or a little smaller)  and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  

Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, page 492 (adapted by me)

Picture Source: I Heart Nap Time

Lauren's Latest Fail-Proof Pizza Dough

Fail-Proof Pizza Dough and Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

You will never need another pizza dough recipe after this one!

yield: 2-12 INCH PIZZA CRUSTS; ABOUT 1 LB. OF DOUGH

INGREDIENTS:

for the pizza dough-
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup...depending on the heat & humidity}

for the cheesy garlic bread sticks-
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough from above
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
{salt & pepper, if desired}

DIRECTIONS:

For the pizza dough--In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix. Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn't stick to your hands. Once you reach this stage, knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean! {*This is the point when you could freeze your dough!! Divide into portions, place into freezer bags, seal removing all air and freeze. To use, remove from freezer and let sit out to get to room temperature and double in size; 6-8 hours. Then use as you'd like.} Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn't dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That's it! Use as desired.

For the Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks- Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. {If you don't have a pizza stone, use an upside down cookie sheet...a tip I got from Natalie!}
Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}
Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. {That step is totally optional!}

Complete Recipe and Photo Source: Lauren's Latest.  Go to the link for awesome step by step pictures!  

Yummy Alfredo Sauce

1/4 c butter
4 oz cream cheese

In a medium sauce pan, melt above ingredients and add 2-3 TBSP flour to thicken.  Cook for 1 minute or so oner medium heat.

Add and stir:
2-3 c milk (can use half cream and half milk if desired)

Add and stir:
1/2-3/4 c parmesan cheese

Add and stir:
garlic powder and salt to taste

Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat, stirring until thick and bubbly.  Delicious served over pasta and with blackened chicken.

Recipe Source: My SIL Charity
Photo Source: Tasty Kitchen

Shells with Easy Pesto & Peas

This recipe is easy and delicious.  You can make your own pesto from scratch or I like to buy the refrigerated version from Costco.  Its a great vegetarian meal or you could throw chicken in as well.


Saute 3-5 minutes:
2 TBS butter
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/2 onion, diced
salt to taste

Add in:
1 bag shells, cooked to package directions and drained

Add and stir over low heat until  heated through :
1/2 jar Pesto
1/2 bag frozen peas

sprinkle top with parmesan cheese if desired


To make your own Pesto:
2 medium garlic cloves or more to taste
4 c fresh basil leaves
4 TBS pinenuts
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

With blades running in food processor, drop in garlic and mince.  Add basil leaves and process until finely chopped.  Add pine nuts until finely chopped.  Drizzle in olive oil in a fine stream until a thick paste forms.

Recipe Source, altered by Mel: The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit For Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond
Picture Source: Cook Smart

Chicken and Ham Creamy Parmesan Lasagna

  Meg did it again over at Food Tastic Sisters!  This dish was delicious!  I used leftover frozen smoked ham from Easter.  The smoky flavor was incredible.  I also put in extra asparagus.  So good! 

Ingredients:

2 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

3 1/4 C. Skim Milk (I used 2%)

1/3 C. + 1 tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 C. chopped parsley

12 no-cook lasagna noodles,divided

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped up, divided (I've used rotisserie chicken in the past, but that increases the sodium, FYI)

8 oz. ham, divided

1 cup thinly chopped asparagus, divided

1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, divided (I used mozzarella cuz its all I had)

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

 

2.  Place broth and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a large pot over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil.

 

3.   In a blender, combine flour, milk and remaining pepper together.  Mix thoroughly.

 

5.   Add milk mixture to broth in pan.  Stir CONSTANTLY over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Let cook for ONE minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  

 

6.  Add 1 C. Parmesan cheese.  Add parsley and stir until cheese melts.

 

7.  You can use one 9x13 pan or two 8x8 pans.  Be sure to spray PAM on your pans.  Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the pan(s).  Layer the "oven ready" noodles over sauce.  Layer the Asparagus, Chicken, Ham & Pepper Jack over the noodles.  Noodles again.  Spoon a little more sauce over the noodles.  Add some chicken, ham, asparagus and pepper jack cheese.Then noodles and sauce, again.  Last layer of Chicken, Ham, Asparagus and Pepper jack.  Follow up with the final layer of noodles.
 

8.  Add a pinch of fresh parsley (if you still have some left over) and the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.  Cover with foil that's been sprayed with Pam as well.  Cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it cool for about 10-15 min.  It allows the lasagna to set up.  Then, serve alongside a hearty salad or veggie of your choice.

 

 

Thanks Meg!  Go Here for the original link at Food Tastic Sisters.  She shows step by step pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herb & Cheese Baked Chicken

I snagged this recipe from my super duper good friend Meg's cooking blog over at Food-Tastic-Sisters.  I love her cooking blog because she puts individual pictures up of every step of the recipe. They all look amazing!  There are so many recipes of hers I want to try.  Go take a look, you won't regret it! :) 


The only thing I would do differently next time is not use the Dijon mustard on the chicken I am serving to my kids.  They both didn't like the tangy flavor, which was a total bummer.  On the other hand, my husband and I both loved it! 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 1 1/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs (must be Panko!!)

1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese (a FAT handful)

2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

1 tbsp chopped thyme

1 tbsp. chopped sage

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast (only 3 are pictured)

Olive oil, for drizzling

salt & pepper

about 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

**Meg says for best results use FRESH herbs.  I am sure she is 100% correct; however, I only had dried herbs and it still tasted pretty yummy.  I just decreased the amount by half for the dried herbs.  :) 

 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2.  Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  When butter gets bubbly, add minced garlic and cook for two minutes stirring constantly.  It will brown up beautifully. 

3.  Pour the Panko bread crumbs into a dish (I used a casserole pan).  Pour the butter over the bread crumbs.  Stir and let cool.

4.  Add the cheese and all the FRESH herbs.  Mix well.

5.  Place the chicken on parchment paper.  Rub a little olive oil on both sides.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. 

6.  Add a little squirt of Dijon mustard to each chicken breast.  Spread the mustard, covering only ONE side. 

7.  Then take chicken, mustard side down, and press into the breadcrumb mixture.  Repeat for all pieces of chicken.  The breadcrumbs should only cover ONE side.  Once covered, I realized  the hefty amount of breadcrumbs that were left over.  So, I took an additional 3-4 tbsp of the breadcrumbs and placed it on top of the chicken.  Then, gently patted it down.  Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until juices run clear. 

 

Meg says (and I agree) that it was tangy, garlicky and crunchy.
The panko breadcrumbs hold their crispy texture and add a nice crunch to the tender chicken.  She paired the meal with Curried Cauliflower Soup (which can be found on her recipe blog, see link above). 

 

 

Source:Food Tastic Sisters

Creamy Spinach & Tomato Tortellini

I made this recipe last night and it was super yummy. The garlic, onion, fresh basil and parmesan cheese just make this dish full of flavor. The basil came right from our herb garden. Score!! I also used REAL cream....something I've never done before. I usually don't have it onhand so I generally substitute whole milk. Using real cream was really good....I just won't think about the calorie content ;) I also loved that it was meatless. Even my two year old ate it so thats really saying something too. I also used fresh tortellini from the refidgerated section in the store (usually on the aisle by the pasta sauce). The fresh stuff is about twice as much as frozen and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference between fresh and frozen.



Creamy Spinach & Tomato Tortellini


Serves 4

1 16 oz package tortellini (fresh or frozen)

2 TBS olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic

1 9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 C chopped fresh tomatoes or canned, drained
handful of fresh basil chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

1 C heavy whipping cream (Next time I'd consider adding a little more cream.)
¼ C parmesan cheese (REAL parmesan cheese is best)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook tortellini according to desired doneness according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.


2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.


3. Add basil, cooking for a minute to bring out the flavor.

4. Add spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


4. Stir in whipped cream and parmesan cheese; cook until mixture just comes to a boil.


5. Reduce heat to low and stir in tortellini. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with additional cheese if desired.

Photo Source: Butter With a Side of Bread