Cheese please! This is one of my favorite comfort foods in the winter but it doesn't overdose your body with cheese like some mac and cheese recipes can. It definitely makes the winter warmer and it is so easy to make. Even the kids could make this. My husband calls this recipe "macaroni surprise" because he hates tomatoes but loves this casserole.

Serve this as your main entrée with a salad and a vegetable. This recipe makes four adult servings. Or you can scale down the serving size and make it into a tasty side dish with barbecued chicken or steak.

Ingredients:

1 tsp margarine
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 small jalapeño finely chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cup uncooked elbow or small shell macaroni
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Mix everything together in a big bowl. Spray a deep casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour mixture into dish and let sit for 1 hour or better overnight in fridge. When you let it sit the macaroni in essence cooks partially by soaking up the fluid. To make it even easier you could substitute dried onions from the bulk store. I use a couple tablespoons. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Divide into 4 portions and serve with a side of salad and vegetable.

Leftovers reheat really well from fridge or freezer. Just add a tsp of water, heat, stir and serve.

Enjoy!

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M. E. Wood lives in Eastern Ontario, Canada. If you are going to find this eclectic reader and writer anywhere it is probably at her computer. For more information visit her official website.