Three-Ingredient Mac ’n’ Cheese

Whoo-hoo! Three ingredients? And quick? And delicious? Purists will snub their noses at this recipe, but I’m in foodie heaven! This great little dish is one of the easiest main courses you can make. Even Mr. Macho (stumbling around his unused kitchen in a football helmet, aftershave, and not a whole lot more) will feel a sense of accomplishment as he successfully prepares what I feel is the best macaroni and cheese ever!

Three-Ingredient Mac ’n’ Cheese:

3 c. elbow macaroni, uncooked
10-oz. (284 mL) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 c. sharp grated cheddar, divided, or packaged shredded cheese mix (see Note)

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Add macaroni to large pot of boiling, lightly salted water. Cook 10-to-12 min., or until al dente (tender “to the tooth”). While pasta cooks, spoon condensed soup into 2 qt. (2 L) spray-greased casserole dish, baking 12-to-15 min. or until bubbly. Stir 1-¾ c. cheddar into hot soup, stirring until melted. Drain pasta, adding to cheese sauce in baking dish. Bake, lightly covered with foil, 20-to-25 min.

Note: I added a fourth ingredient - Nicole’s Special Croutons - but you certainly don’t have to. I crushed about a dozen croutons coarsely, combined them with ¼ c. grated cheese, and sprinkled them over the casserole. You’ll find my croutons indexed under Bread. If you decide not to use croutons, reduce total amount of cheese to 1-¾ c.

The effect was excellent, Dude (this for the guy in the football helmet, wondering which take-out menu to have tonight). 

Just three ingredients: 1/ Macaroni 

2/ Cream of mushroom soup

3/ Grated cheese

Et voilà!