Macaroni & Cheese with Tomatoes: Freezer Friendly

This week I've been making some recipes to take to another sweet family with a new addition!  There must be something in the water because babies are popping out around here like crazy.  Rest assured, I drink milk!  Haha :)  I stumbled on a great website with some freezer friendly meals and this recipe sure didn't disappoint.  It was creamy, a little sweet from the tomatoes, and crunchy from the breadcrumb topping.  It was very satisfying and would make a great main or side dish.  This recipe is also easily doubled - which I did - and it made FOUR 8 x 8 inch dishes of macaroni and cheese.  My kind of recipe for sure!  I baked one, froze one for me, and froze two to take!  You've gotta give this one a try ;)

Macaroni & Cheese with Tomatoes - from this recipe

1 recipe (makes two 8 x 8 or one 9 x 13 dish)

1/2 lb macaroni

3 tbl butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 tbl flour

2 cups milk

2 cups cheddar cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Double Recipe (makes four 8 x 8 or two 9 x 13 dishes) - What I did

1 lb macaroni

6 tbl butter

1 large onion, chopped

4 tbl flour

4 cups milk (I used 1% and it worked just fine)

4 cups cheddar cheese (I used 2 bags shredded cheddar, one sharp & one mild)

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice (I used the No Salt Added kind)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

The key to this recipe is preparation!  Take the time to gather all the ingredients BEFORE you start cooking.  It all comes together quickly and you won't have time to prepare ingredients as you go.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile melt 4 tablespoon of butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add flour.  Cook stirring constantly about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk in the milk.  This is for real.  I've done it before when I just dumped the milk in.  It makes it grainy and lumpy.  So seriously, gradual is the way to go!  Increase heat to high and cook whisking constantly until the milk is thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Whisk in both cheeses, salt (I omitted) and pepper until cheese melts.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile drain macaroni and toss with tomatoes and juices.  I used a LARGE bowl.  We're talking the biggest one I had.  This made a TON.

 Add cheese mixture to macaroni and tomatoes.  Stir until well combined.

Note: If you don't have a bowl this large, evenly split the macaroni & tomato mixture into each baking dish.  Then evenly split the cheese mixture into each dish.  Stir together once it's in the individual dish.  A soup ladle or mug with a handle would work great for this.

Distribute evenly in baking dishes.

For the breadcrumb mixture - melt the last two remaining tablespoons of butter, add breadcrumbs, and cook about 1 minute until evenly coated.  Top macaroni dishes.  

If freezing: Wait a few minutes before you top the mixture with breadcrumbs.  Top with breadcrumbs.  Cover with foil and freeze.  Pull out meal the night before you want to use it.  If it's partially thawed bake covered on a cookie sheet for 1.5 hours.  If it's totally frozen bake covered for 2 hours.  Take foil off the last 10 minutes of baking.

If baking immediately, bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Two for them and one in the freezer for me!  I wrote the directions directly on the foil with a Sharpie - this way I won't lose the instructions!

And 25 pain-staking minutes later it was ready!  And oh so yummy!!

The Verdict

This is a definite keeper!! It was so easy and ended up delicious.  I can't wait to see what it's like out of the freezer.  Thanks to the preparation, the recipe came together very easily.  I'm slowly getting the hang of making a roux all by myself.  The tomatoes really added a slightly sweet, refreshing flavor.  I'm always a little skeptical of adding anything to my macaroni, but the tomatoes were a great addition.  This wasn't quite enough for a full meal.  How about adding some cubed ham or chicken before baking?  Or making it a tex-mex spin with the addition of some browned ground beef or ground turkey and some cumin or taco seasoning.  This recipe is a great base for a delicious macaroni dish and will most definitely become a staple in this house!  

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!