Better Than the Box Macaroni and Cheese.

As much as I enjoy making recipes from scratch, time constraints necessitate using boxed, canned, frozen or prepackaged food sources.  When it comes to macaroni and cheese, my recipe for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is better than any packaged brand.  Four different cheeses melted into a heavy cream mixture before drenching perfectly cooked elbow macaroni...heavenly!  But, it takes time to create, and sometimes that isn't convenient, so I go to the box.  We prefer the Velveeta Shells and Cheese; it's the "rather have liquid cheese than powdered" principle.  As to whether Velveeta is really a cheese, I'll leave that to those who have the free time for this debate.

I made meatloaf to go with my Shells and Cheese casserole.  As a joke, I took a photo of my meal next to the picture on the box.  Personally, I think my meal photo looks much more appetizing.

Shells and Cheese Casserole

 

Ingredients:

1 (24 oz.) box Velveeta Shells and Cheese

1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (12 oz.) package frozen corn, thawed
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup diced onion
½ tsp ground black pepper
¾  cup crumbled bacon

Preparation:

Prepare Velveeta Shells and Cheese according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350F; grease 3 quart baking dish with butter.

In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients, except bacon, with the prepared shells and cheese.  Spread evenly into butter baking dish; sprinkle bacon over top.

 

Bake for 30-40 minutes; top will be browned and firm to touch.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour