A few weeks ago my house turned into a video set and today you get to see why! Click play below to take a little sneak peek into my life, my home, and my kitchen. (And watch for the part where my 2nd grader gets clothes-lined in the back yard. #favoritescene.)
Kate and I have talked before about some of the funny misconceptions that exist when you’re a food writer and blogger. One of the most common, is that we must cook everything from scratch and spend hours in the kitchen for all of our super fancy organic meals. If you’ve read this post from this past Mother’s Day, you know how far off the mark that is! While Kate and I have been working together over the past 5 years, we’ve actually never lived in the same state. We had never even been to each other’s homes until very recently. Kate made the long drive up to visit me in Idaho and when she rolled in with tired, hungry kiddos, guess what we made? Here’s the Instagram picture for proof:
That’s right, classic Mac & Cheese with a side of cheese puffs. On plastic plates. It was fast, easy, and the only thing that every single one of our kids happily agreed on. I mean what I said in that video- I really rely on pantry staples to create quick weeknight meals and many of my family’s most favorite meals fall into that “semi-homemade” category.
Of all the great new varieties of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, this Creamy Garlic & Herb Alfredo is my favorite. Just like the name suggests, it boasts a smooth and creamy sauce, dotted with Italian herbs and seasonings. It makes a terrific quick meal on its own, and works wonders as a base for endless add-ins. I’m going to show you how I cooked the recipe in that video! If you’d like to make this recipe all from scratch, just boil your own noodles and try our Guiltless Alfredo recipe.
I’m using a few things I almost always have on hand for this dish: some jarred sun-dried tomatoes (roasted red peppers would work well, too) marinated artichoke hearts for a punch of flavor, some cooked and shredded chicken breast (great use for leftovers!) and a little fresh spinach.
All of those ingredients are pretty much ready to go, so really all you need to do is toss them in the pot of the prepared pasta.
The creamy sauce coats everything in cheesy goodness. You could place the whole batch in a baking dish if you prefer, but I like to plate up single-portions. Besides looking adorable, it’s a great way to keep an eye on portion control.
For an extra punch of both flavor and texture, I made a quick breadcrumb mixture for the topping. This is a great way to use up that one last slice of bread that no one wants to eat; it’s even okay if it’s a little dried out! Give it a quick pulse in a food processor along with some grated Parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of butter.
Top each baking dish,
and broil it in the oven until it’s golden brown and lightly toasted.
You get a seriously flavor-packed bite. The artichokes sort of blend in with the color of the pasta and then surprise you with tangy flavor. The tomatoes add a little texture, and more of those Italian herbs, and the fresh spinach adds pops of color. Shredded chicken creates a hearty meal that fills up happy tummies.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this meal takes less than 20 minutes start-to-finish. Pair it with a loaf of crusty bread from the grocery store bakery and a quick green salad and you seriously have a filling, home-cooked cooked meal that’s casual enough for a weeknight dinner, and sophisticated enough for company!
Hearty Garlic and Herb Alfredo Bake
Recipe By Our Best Bites
1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Garlic and Herb Alfredo Variety
1 cup cooked, diced or shredded chicken breast
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, torn into small pieces
1 6 or 7 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
Prepare Macaroni and Cheese according to package directions. Add chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir over low heat until everything is combined and heated through. Spoon mixture into a serving dish, or 6 individual ramekins. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and butter, and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle evenly on top of pasta and place under a broiler just until crumbs are golden and toasted. Serves: 6.
Brought to you by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.
Questions & Reviews
Settle down everyone. I don’t think anyone left a ‘hater’ comment. No one was nasty or mean. Is it ‘hater’ to have an opposing opinion? Also no one said they hated the recipe or semi-homemade recipes in general. I think i can understand what some of these people are saying. I visit a lot of food blogs and this one does seem to have more than the average amount of ads….from what I’ve seen. That’s ok. No big deal but when the whole post is an ad you can’t be surprised that some people are put off by it. And these blogs posts ARE ads. It’s a paid endorsement…that’s an ad. No one is saying there can’t be ads on the blog. Everyone understands that. I think people are just concerned that this is going to be common place. If several of your posts every month are paid endoresments…then that might loose readers. That cant be surprising. I think that’s all people are trying to say. We want to see ‘your best bites’. Not ”your best paid bites’.
Yum. Pasta is a staple here too, and on occasion a good, fancy but quick meal like this is perfection. I’ve never tried artichoke hearts with my . Hmm. Must consider…
Love this one too. It looks so easy and so good. I’m excited to try it out with my family. 🙂
This is my most favorite of the Mac n’ cheeses. What a great, quick dinner idea. I love the video too! Your family is adorable.
How did you get the trampoline in your ground like that? I think that was even cooler than the recipe.
I love the fact that you are posting some semi-homemade recipes! As much as I would love to make everything from scratch all the time, there’s just no way I can do it. I have another food blog that I follow (although you guys are my all time fave) and this woman makes everything homemade. She even makes her own hamburger buns! Who has time for that?! I think all she must ever do is cook and clean up. Thanks! Keep at it! Love you guys!
First of all, settle down people!:) A couple recipes with a base of something we all have in the pantry (admit it or not) is not a sell out – nor is it not ‘real food’. Yes, feeding your family a box of mac and cheese every night is not great. Every now and then – and with some fresh ingredient add ins – is perfectly fine and shows how real life works. Next time I’m shopping, I will look for the new flavors and I probably wouldn’t have done so without you showing me some ideas on how to make it even better. So thanks!
Second, seeing your son get clothes lined was hilarious! I appreciate the video for that alone!
I keep writing comments and deleting them.
I just want to say that I’ve been a big fan of your recipes for a while. And I do understand that it’s your blog and you need to do what works for you. I just hope that the blog eventually comes back to a focus on easy recipes made with real food.
Well done! Loved watching this.
Love the video, especially seeing how your family interacts with one another. Thanks!