Homemade Mac n Cheese
I was all ready to make faux mac ‘n cheese but I didn’t have any cauliflower. Then I decided to make regular homemade mac ‘n cheese but realized I didn’t have any milk! Did you ever crave something but didn’t have the ingredients to make it?
So here I am ready for another challenge of trying to figure out how I can make this work since now I’m really craving mac ‘n cheese to go with the meatloaf in the oven.
So I started going through the refrigerator to see what I had to make this work. Here is my recipe!
Mac n Cheese
Cream cheese
Butter
Shredded Cheese
Elbow Macaroni
Broccoli crumbs
Crackers
I started by melting 1 tablespoon of butter with cream cheese. (I only had about 6 ounces left in an 8 ounce package). I melted that on medium low heat so it wouldn’t burn then added 2 cups of shredded cheese. I used a blend of 3 different cheddar cheeses, stirring until well mixed with the butter and cream cheese. It was a bit thick so I added 1/8 cup of water.
I’ve mentioned before how I save all the small broccoli bits and pieces from the end of a bag of frozen broccoli florets for omelets so I decided to toss in some of those broccoli crumbs to my melted cheese. Next I added two cups of cooked elbow macaroni and stirred everything together.
I poured it in baking dish and went to get some potato chips to crumble over the top only to realize I didn’t have any of those either! So back to the figuring what I could top my mac ‘n cheese with. I got it, I’ll use the partial sleeve of Ritz crackers that’s been hanging around in the pantry. I put them on a plastic baggie and broke them with the back of my hand until they turned into fine pieces then I sprinkled them over the mac ‘n cheese.
The meatloaf was in the oven at 350 degrees and had about 20 minutes left to bake so I added the mac ‘n cheese in to slightly brown the top.
My recipe was a success and perfect with the delicious meatloaf!
My homemade mac ‘n cheese invention turned out delicious and of course I had leftovers of both the meatloaf and mac ‘n cheese so dinner is ready for tonight!
Added to my recipe
As usually I just can’t leave well enough along. My mac ‘n cheese was so good but by the time it was ready for leftovers, it was a bit dry. By then I had milk so I added a splash of milk and it became so creamy. But that’s not all, I also added a can of tuna. Now I have a mac ‘n cheese tuna casserole for leftovers! So now this is a meal in itself, it has macaroni, vegetables (broccoli) and meat (tuna) and it was so good!
I am impressed Martha by your innovative recipe.Wat did you like most about this version ?
The think I like best was coming up with a way to make it without milk Amrita. LOL I also liked that it was thicker and very creamy with the cream cheese. I like coming up with alternatives to recipes.
Seriously, my mouth is watering just from reading your post! I like the idea of blending cream cheese with 3 different kinds of cheddar. That will be a delicious sauce over anything. Thanks, Martha.
It was delicious Victoria and yes I actually topped some broccoli with it the next day!
Martha, a dish well saved!!! I cook like that when needs must, and it’s usually delicious! Yours sounds delicious! I back myself up by always having some instant dry milk in the cabinet (if unopened) or frij (if opened). (laughter emoji)
It was very good Kebba and we usually always have milk, Lia loes it. Once we ran out, it was so close to leaving for the week and I though I could “milk” it without getting any. LOL That’s a good idea to have dry milk on hand, thanks for the suggestion.
very resourceful! I often want to make something but find I don’t have all the ingredients. When I really want the food, I often google a substitute. Your dish looks delicious.
I like the challenge of trying to come up with an alternative before I visit Google Cheryl. I did find a few alternatives to making buttermilk through them though!
Mac and cheese is one of my favorites. 🙂
Mine too Amanda and this recipe is super cheesy!