MAIN Blistered Tomato Mac 'n Cheese
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8-10 servings
Using Barilla's new One Pot Pasta and a simple Roux Recipe, this is a fantastic homemade mac 'n cheese option for a busy night or for the novice cook. Our recipe is packed full of easy steps to help bring a quick meal together beautifully and teach higher level cooking skills in under 10 minutes. Watch this video to see how easy this recipe comes together!
Here's the link to our original post on this recipe.
For your reference: a roux is a mixture of melted butter/oil and flour (equal parts typically) that is used as a thickening agent for soups, a sauce starter (for gravy and bechamel -cheese sauce-) and it is dominant in French and Cajun cooking.
Ingredients
1 pkg Barilla One Pot Elbow Macaroni or Penne (or a Barilla Gluten Free option)
3 cups water
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
2-3 cups milk
2 cups any cheese you liked, grated or cubed
1/2-1 small can fire-roasted tomatoes
salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by adding the full box of pasta to a large pot with 3 cups of water.* Bring to a boil and stir often while you begin your roux.
- In a separate large skillet, add butter and onions together and cook for 2 minutes until onions are softened slightly and butter is melted.
- Add flour to butter and whisk to combine and coat onions (this is the beginning of your roux). *Don't forget to stir your pasta to prevent sticking.
- After whisking constantly for 2 minutes, add milk a 1/4 cup at a time and whisk gently after each addition to break up lumps and encourage a smooth sauce. Once you've added about 2 cups of milk, add your cheese and stir to melt and combine.
- By this point, your pasta should be cooked perfectly (al dente) with a small amount of water left in the bottom of the pot. Pour cheese mixture over noodles, stir to combine and add the rest of the milk if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Add tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Top with extra cheese and place under the broiler for 5 minutes to add some crunch to the top of your mac 'n cheese.
- Serve hot!
Notes
*If you can't find Barilla pasta, simple choose any macaroni-style pasta you like and cook according to package instructions.
Courses dinner, side
Cuisine American
Recipe by Vie at https://getvie.com/2017/11/14/ten-minute-homemade-blistered-tomato-mac-n-cheese/