My Own Macaroni and Cheese

I am one of those people who never follows the recipe, so this recipe is great as it lends itself to that very well. It's also a great dish to throw in all the left over meat and veggies that you may have. Generally I add ingredients until it tastes good.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 766 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 pinch dried basil
• 2 slices bacon
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 cups macaroni

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Step 3

In large pot, cook macaroni pasta in boiling salted water with a pinch of basil and one teaspoon of olive oil until al dente. Rinse with cool water. Drain.

Step 4

Meanwhile, use a blender to mash the whole peeled tomatoes. In a large bowl combine mashed tomatoes, 1 cup of the grated Cheddar cheese, chopped bacon and bell green pepper, bacon, and chopped carrots. Mix well. Add the cooked macaroni and toss well to coat evenly.

Step 5

Place in 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese and 2 teaspoons basil on top. Layer the sliced tomatoes over all.

Step 6

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.