Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Tomato

First off, thanks for all your kind words on my blog post yesterday. It felt good to share this huge accomplishment (for me anyway!). Running 5km (a little more than 3 miles) was a big challenge for me - I can't wait to try it again (maybe this weekend?!).

After all that running, what's better than this...




I think mac and cheese is my favorite dish.  What's not to love? pasta and cheese... mmmmm!!! Comfort food for sure!



I went looking for a different mac and cheese a couple of weeks ago and found this recipe on Allrecipes.  I already made it twice and we love it! It is so simple and tasty!



Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato
1 pound macaroni
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 1/4 cups milk (used low fat milk)
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (used about 2 cups)
8 tablespoons butter, divided 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (didn't use this - added more cheese)
A few drops of hot sauce  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Pour in pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In large bowl, combine macaroni, soup, milk, cheese and 6 tablespoons butter. Pour into 9x13 baking dish. Top with bread crumbs and dot with remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Turkey Chili Mac

I love to cook... and I love to eat... Most of the time, I cook healthy meals.  This is one of those times!!  I was looking for a good chili mac and I found this great recipe on mommahenskitchen - it is DELICIOUS!!  I was surprised  because often I find dishes with ground turkey to be a bit dry - not in this case!

 I did add some veggies I had to use up - a bit of onion and some bell peppers!

  

 and of course, some low-fat mozzarella cheese!! :)

  

Skillet Chili Mac with Corn - adapted from My Kitchen Cafe (my changes in red)

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
3/4 tbs chili powder (added about 1 1/2 tbs)
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs brown sugar (didn't add)
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
8 oz. pasta, cooked (added a bit more)
1 cup frozen corn (used a can)
2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped (didn't add)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (used low-fat mozzarella cheese)

Cook ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink (I added some onion and bell peppers here). Drain fat. Add chili powder and Cajun seasoning; mix well. Add 1 tbs olive oil to pan. Cook garlic and brown sugar for 1 - 2 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and cooked pasta. Simmer on medium low for 5 - 10 minutes. Add frozen corn, cilantro, and cheese. Cook for 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and corn is heated.