Recipe: Marilyn's Mac and Cheese

I should begin by saying two things:  1. I absolutely love mac and cheese, and 2.  I have no idea who Marilyn is from this recipe, but that’s the name of it! I recently was craving a homemade mac n’ cheese, so I decided to search the internet for a good recipe.  I have made various kinds in the past, but I wanted to try something that was a bit different than what I have already made.  I really love almost any kind of mac n’ cheese: Velveeta, Kraft, dishes with veggies, dishes with various cheeses, meats…you name it.  I really love the mac n’ cheese at Keystone Bar & Grill in Covington too but haven’t gotten the chance to blog about that place yet. 

I stumbled upon this recipe for Marilyn’s Mac and Cheese on http://www.delish.com/  It sounded like a “casserole” type dish, so I thought I’d give it a try.  Here ya go:

2 cups shell macaroni

¼ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

¼ cup grated provolone cheese

½ cup sour cream

1 can (15 oz) diced-stewed tomatoes, drained

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp fresh oregano

(This is prior to being baked)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the pasta according to package, drain, and transfer to a 4 cup casserole dish. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bake for about 30 minutes. 

(and here it is after.....my husband began to take some out before I got the picture, but it's still okay!)

This recipe was VERY easy and DELICIOUS!  My husband and I both loved it.  I changed mine up just a tad.  I added diced onion, and I had some mozzarella cheese, so I grated that instead of provolone.  I always like grating my own cheese from blocks; I like the thickness of it is a bit better.  I also couldn’t fine “diced” stewed tomatoes, so I just bought the “whole” stewed tomatoes and chopped them up myself.  I added some crushed red pepper and garlic powder for a bit more seasoning.  Lastly, I didn’t have fresh oregano on hand, so I just used dried oregano.  With all these changes, it still tasted fantastic! This dish could serve many uses as well.  We just had this as our dinner, and there was plenty left over to have later in the week as a side. You could take it to a pot luck or serve as a side with any other meal.  It serves 6. 

~Katy