Super Mac

I love pasta and homemade macaroni and cheese, but it's never anywhere near as good when warmed up for leftovers. Since I have had to travel extensively in my life for work and don't like eating out all the time I came with this recipe that it exclusively designed to be used as 'leftovers', or perhaps you prefer the term meal-prep. I guarantee that this will be the richest and creamiest warmed-up again Mac & Cheese that you have ever had! I have many many revisions to this recipe in order to get it just perfect, and I still add to it more in the form of variations when inspiration strikes. Whether you reheat this in the microwave or on a hot plate, this will turn out excellent.

Ingredients

• 2 boxes Kraft original cheddar mac and cheese
• 2 packets Velveeta cheese sauce
• 1 bag broccoli Florets chopped very small
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 teaspoons pizza seasoning
• 6 tablespoons Panko
• 1 tablespoon beef broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Seasoning Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Put olive oil into a pot and turn on high
2. Stir in all the Panko and lightly toast until golden stirring frequently
3. Let Panko mixture cool and divide into 4 oz cups
4. Steam broccoli for 10 minutes
5. Cook mac and cheese noodles for 8 minutes (El Dante)
6. Place cooked noodles in strainer and drain
7. Add the 4 packets of cheese sauce into the hot (empty) pot that the noodles came out of
8. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and the chicken broth to the pot and turn the heat on medium
9. When almost starting to bubble stir in shredded Parmesan and cheddar
10. When almost starting to bubble again add in the heavy cream and turn off the heat
11. Stir in all the broccoli
12. Divide the cooked noodles into 6 sizable appropriate for the freezer (I use nice glass dishes that I can take to work and reheat easily)
13. Divide the cheese sauce into the 6 containers. Should be pretty soupy, After freezing and reheating much of the sauce will be absorbed.
14. Place 2 teaspoons of the pizza seasoning in a 1 oz container with lid
15. Place seasoning container inside of 4 oz and fill the rest of the space with Panko and seal (DO NOT refrigerate or freeze the topping)
16. Freeze mac and cheese containers
17. When ready to eat, heat mac and cheese then sprinkle pizza seasoning and Panko on top. Enjoy!!

Variations

Roast Beef

• Leave off the broccoli and instead add in 3 x 8 oz packaged roast beef lunch meat (diced). Mix the roast beef directly into the cooked pasta

Smoked Salmon (Inspired by a dish from the Honey Seed restaurant in Chattanooga TN)

• Leave off the broccoli and seasoning topping and instead add in a good amount of diced smoked salmon directly into the cooked pasta