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Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 cups milk
• 10 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 16 ounces cheese, grated (any sharp cheese)
• 2 14.5 ounce cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the macaroni to a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook until just soft, about 5 or 6 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheese slowly and stir until melted. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add the tomatoes and cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 13×9 (3-quart) greased baking dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.

Serves 8 as a main dish or 15 as a side dish.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I used about 5 cups of fresh tomatoes that I had peeled, chopped and cooked for about 5 minutes. For the cheese, I used 8 ounces of extra-sharp cheddar and 8 ounces of monterey jack. I also substituted a mixture of parsley, oregano, basil and garlic powder for the Italian seasoning.

Adapted from recipes by Ina Garten and www.recipezaar.com.