Cheesy Baked Potato Mac and Cheese
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Potatoes, corn, and cajun spices combine perfectly to make this delicious and hearty Cheesy Baked Potato Mac and Cheese Recipe.
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The weather has been so warm lately, I feel like Thanksgiving has completely snuck up on me! Can you believe the Holidays are just around the corner?
I am definitely not ready for Thanksgiving. (Not looking forward to the hours of housecleaning I have to do!)
Baked Potato Mac and Cheese
One of my favorite ways to kick the Holiday season off (other than decorating of course) is to invite family over for a warm and hearty home-cooked meal.
The weather has finally turned and I thought a home-style Mac and Cheese dish would be perfect for the family dinner. I’m all for homemade, from scratch, foods- but since I’m usually pressed for time, I always incorporate shortcuts when I can.
What’s my most frequently used shortcut? Pre-shredded cheeses- not having to shred the cheese is such a time saver!
For today’s recipe, I used the Artisan Blend Parmesan and the Off the Block Sharp Cheddar from Sargento. I really like the punch of flavor these two kinds of cheese provided to the dish.
There are so many ways to make this recipe your own.
- Change up the cheeses. Gruyere, Monterey jack, mild cheddar. Just about anything would work.
- Use a different pasta. Penne, rigatoni, or farfalle would all work.
- Add a protein to make the baked potato mac and cheese a full meal. Chicken or ham would be great.
Cheesy Baked Potato Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30 to 35 min
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: stovetop/oven
Description
Potatoes, corn, and cajun spices combine to make this delicious and hearty Extra Cheesy Baked Potato Mac and Cheese Recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Cavatappi pasta, also known as Cellentani. (rigatoni or penne can also work.) Cavatappi is a short, tubular, corkscrew-shaped pasta.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups peeled, diced potato
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes (set aside a tablespoon or two for garnish)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cup frozen sweet corn, defrosted
- 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning (1/4 for the potatoes and 1/4 for the sauce)
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 1 tsp dry mustard (I used a squirt of yellow mustard- it’s all I had)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan blend cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup bacon bits (or the equivalent of freshly cooked and diced)
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Instructions
- Make the pasta: Cook pasta in a large pot, according to package directions. After cooking is complete, drain, return to pot and keep warm.
- Cook the potatoes: While the pasta is cooking, add oil to the pan and brown the potatoes for about 5 minutes.
- Add corn, red pepper, onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp of the Tony Chachere seasoning, and salt and pepper to the potatoes. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Add milk and whisk til smooth. Add mustard, 1/4 Tony Chachere seasoning (Careful- this stuff has kick!), nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens.
Lower the heat and stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano. - Combine everything and broil: Add the corn-potato mixture and the white sauce to the pasta in the pot and stir together.
- Transfer to a casserole dish, and top with the cheddar cheese, bacon, and reserved red bell pepper. Broil until brown and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
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