Mexi-Macaroni Bake

By Pamela Rose Williams

Macaroni and Cheese … that’s what’s for supper! Homemade is the best kind. Here is a recipe with a little kick.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of prepared pasta of any kind (I uses rotini)
• 1/2 can of drained diced tomatoes and green chilies
• cheese sauce (white sauce with cheese melted in it … recipe below)

• Approx 1/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned)
• approx. 1/2 cup of sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

To prepare cheese sauce take 3 Tablespoons of Butter and melt it in a medium sauce pan.  Then wisk in 3 Tablespoons of flour.  Your consistency should look like wet sand.  Then add 2 Cups of Milk or cream and cook on low until it is thickens.  (hint: it will not appear thick until it reaches the boiling point … watch this closely and stir regularly because burnt milk is very yucky and hard to clean up) As the sauce thickens add about 1 Cup of Velveeta cheese cubes.  Also add any other kind of cheese that you have … I added some Romano and Mozzarella. Keep stirring until cheese is melted.  Your sauce should be a medium think consistency … too thick makes for dry bake and too thin makes for runny bake.

Oil the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a large bowl combine the cooked macaroni, cheese sauce and the tomatoes and chilies.  Mix carefully as not to break up the macaroni.  Then fold in the sour cream.

Put mixture into the prepared baking pan and top with bread crumbs.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.  Remove foil and turn oven up to 400 for 5 minutes to brown the bread crumbs.

Serve with applesauce and some fresh bread and butter!