Tomato Mac and Cheese
Here is how to make a dreamy Oven Baked Tomato Macaroni and Cheese recipe. This recipe has sharp cheddar cheese PLUS tomatoes!
Here is how to make a dreamy Oven Baked Tomato Macaroni and Cheese recipe. This recipe has sharp cheddar cheese PLUS tomatoes!
- Carbohydrate 45.1439118259418 g
- Cholesterol 72.4212500585828 mg
- Fat 29.9795392914328 g
- Fiber 2.01157333056451 g
- Protein 24.4364580605928 g
- Saturated Fat 16.0681055750058 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (242g)
- Sodium 903.567325272995 mg
- Sugar 43.1323384953773 g
- Trans Fat 3.01009859478049 g
- Calories 549 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook the macaroni in a medium to large pot that is half-full of boiling water, salted with 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Place 7 oz. of macaroni in the boiling water.
- It will take about 8 minutes for the macaroni to cook to a consistency that is al denti (chewy, but not mushy).
- It will continue to cook when baked in the casserole.
- Meanwhile, prepare your tomato-cheddar cheese sauce.
- In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, and add 1/2 cup chopped onion.
- Saute the onion until clear.
- Add a 10 3/4 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup milk, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (drained).
- Mix thoroughly.
- Now, place the cheese sauce over low heat, and cook and stir until the mixture is smooth and cooked through.
- Move the cheese sauce to a warmer-type burner until your macaroni is done, and stir it occasionally.
- When the macaroni is done, pour it through a colander to remove all the water, and return the macaroni to its original pot.
- Stir in the cheese sauce gently until completely mixed.
- Spray an 8-inch by 10-inch Pyrex dish with cooking spray, and add the prepared macaroni to the dish.
- Place the dish of macaroni in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done to your liking.
- This is a favorite recipe in my family.
- Kids love it,
Vibrant orange pools of fat break through a scorched, bubbly crust of sharp cheddar as the casserole emerges from a 350-degree oven. At first glance, combining canned tomatoes with a dairy-heavy casserole invites disaster. Acidic fruit liquids clash with milk proteins, often causing sauces to curdle into a watery mess.
This recipe avoids structural separation through careful emulsification. Condensed cream of mushroom soup acts as a secondary stabilizing agent, supplying modified food starches and gums that bind free moisture. Cooking the cheese sauce over low heat prevents the proteins in the cheddar from tightening into rubbery strands. Drain the canned tomatoes thoroughly and reserve that liquid to control moisture levels inside the pasta bake. Fold the cooked macaroni directly into the warm sauce off the heat before transferring the mixture to an 8-inch by 10-inch glass baking dish.
Starch molecules in the pasta continue absorbing surrounding moisture during the 25 to 30 minutes of baking time, tightening the final texture. Leftover portions stored in airtight containers develop a denser crumb as the starches retrograde overnight. Reheating second-day slices with a splash of milk restores fluidity to the sauce.
