Remember last week, when I told you about the recipes that Joe brought home from The Patriot-News? The first recipe we tried was for spicy pulled pork, and it was really good.

The next recipe from that article that we tried was smoky macaroni and cheese. It is comfort food at its finest, laden with cheese and heavy cream.

As Cookie Monster would say, this is a sometimes food. But it’s sometimes now, and I ate this one all week, too. It was magnificent. The bread crumbs on top are crunchy and the sauce is just spicy enough to be flavorful, but not so much that it makes your nose run.

Next time, we’re going to double the Cheddar cheese (because, you know, it didn’t have enough cheese in it to begin with) and see if that makes it better or not.

Enjoy!

Smoky Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked macaroni (12 ounces)
• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 cups shredded smoked Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, well drained
• 1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (this is NOT the shelf stable can o’ dust you see at pizza shops)
• 1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package. Return to saucepan; cover to keep warm.
2. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 13x 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream, mustard, mustard, salt, and red pepper to boiling. Reduce heat; stir in cheddar cheese with wire whisk until smooth.
3. Pour sauce over macaroni. Stir in tomatoes and onions. Pour into baking dish. In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Stir in oil. Sprinkle over top of macaroni mixture.
4. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown.

Note: Be sure to use heavy whipping cream when making the sauce for this decadent macaroni & cheese. Using milk or half-and-half may result in a curdled sauce. (I don’t understand why, but that’s what it said in the recipe in the newspaper.)

Happily submitted to Mouthwatering Mondays, Homemaking Monday, The Homemaker’s Haven, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday,Talk to me Tuesday, and Talk About Tuesday