July 22, 2010

Grandma’s Macaroni and Cheese

30-Minute Kids’ Favorites, bacon, Kids' Favorite Recipes, main dish, pasta

Presented by

45 ratings

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Partner: Herb-Crusted Tomatoes

The secret to my Grandma’s famous macaroni and cheese was crisp-cooked bacon.

Ingredients

8 ounces corkscrew pasta
8 ounces bacon, diced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or Colby cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 400°F.
2

Cook corkscrew pasta according to package directions; drain well.
3

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain.
4

Add onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon oregano to skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes or until onion is tender.
5

Stir in tomato sauce and hot pepper sauce, if desired. Add cooked pasta and Cheddar to skillet; stir to coat.
6

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Combine bread crumbs, remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and melted butter in small bowl; sprinkle over pasta mixture.
7

Bake until cheese is melted and mixture is hot and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Sometimes Grandma would make a pasta dish like this one using her own homemade tomato sauce. Because her sauce was already flavorful, she didn’t add as much of the herbs as the recipe called for. If you don’t make your own homemade sauce, buy one of the seasoned tomato sauces at the store and use it to add extra zest to your recipes.