This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
Homemade mac and cheese with tomatoes is a family favorite. This recipe comes from my mother-in-law; she used to make it for my husband, so its one of his comfort foods. As much as a guy can really have a comfort food. That’s usually reserved for us gals, because men would never admit that they tuck themselves under a blanket with a romance novel and eat a bowl of mac n’ cheese to cheer themselves up. Want a skillet version? My creamy skillet mac and cheese is divine and if you are feeling crazy, my sloppy Joe mac and cheese is awesome!
Tomatoes in Mac and Cheese
My Grandma and my Aunt used to put stewed, canned tomatoes in their mac and cheese and let me tell you, that is the BEST thing you will ever eat if you are a tomato lover. Homemade mac n’ cheese with tomato juice is as close as I can get to what I used to eat with them, but man, it makes me wish that I could get my hands on my Grandma’s canned tomatoes again.
I don’t even have her recipe, which makes me sad, but let’s face it, I rarely have time to can. I just want someone to can them FOR me!
Mac n’ cheese with tomatoes is a seriously old, retro way to eat your mac n’ cheese. It’s very old-fashioned – and maybe was born from the endless supply of stewed canned tomatoes that were in so many pantries on the farm so many years ago. While it doesn’t actually make the mac and cheese any lighter, at least you have some veggies in there!
Does anyone else love mac n’ cheese with tomato juice? Or stewed tomatoes?
Happy cooking all!
Love,
Karlynn
PIN THIS RECIPE to your DINNER RECIPES Boards and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
Thanks to ads on this website, readers of The Kitchen Magpie are now sponsoring 2 families a month through the Edmonton Food Bank. Learn how you can help here.
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
Subscribe to The Kitchen Magpie on YouTube
One click and you'll get notified of new videos added to our YouTube account!
Subscribe on YouTube
Homemade Mac and Cheese With Tomato Juice
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Course
- dinner recipes
- Cuisine
- pasta
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Calories
- 668
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2 cups of uncooked macaroni pasta
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of tomato or vegetable juice
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
- 1-2 cups of grated mozza or cheddar cheese
- 1 cup stewed tomatoes
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain and place in a greased medium sized casserole dish.
- Time to make your cheese sauce, which is the base of any white sauce out there, your basic roux. Start with your butter in a pot, and heat it until it's melted, then stir in the flour.
- Add in a very, VERY small amount of milk. Just enough to mix it in. Keep adding a small bit of milk at a time, constantly stirring, until you have added it all and the mixture is smooth.
- Add in your cup of juice and stir well. Add in the shredded cheese, stirring to melt it in completely.
- Once the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, pour over the noodles in the casserole. Stir, then add in the stewed tomatoes.
- Top with the extra cheese.
- Bake covered in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then uncover and let the cheese melt and brown for another 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Susan Risbey says
Thank you so much for this recipe. This is exactly how my mother and grandmother used to make it. Mom passed away recently and I never did find this recipe. (She probably never had a recipe but made it from memory.) I cannot wait to make it so I can have that connection with my mom again. Plus I will be sharing your recipe with my brothers and sister too.
Susan
Dianne says
As I enjoy a glass of Clamato juice “the works” I think it would work really nicely in this recipe
-mel says
this is whats in the oven right now!! used up all the random cheeses and i can’t wait…the sauce is absolutely delightful with tomatoes/juice…thanks for sharing!!
BettyMcQuade says
I have printed my e-mail address and I got a reply saying I required to send an e-mail address . ?What can I do? B
Monique says
OMG amazing delicious mac N cheese! The best ever!
Shanonandmike says
Just made this tonight, but I converted to lactose free. I used Lactaid milk, vegan margarine and a very hard cheddar. It was loved by 6, and was demanded as a repeat by the children. As a matter of fact, there was grief about there not being enough leftover for school lunch tomorrow! Thanks, Magpie!
thekitchenmagpie says
Shanonandmike I am SO glad you liked it!
Karlynn Johnston says
It freaks me out when people I know in real life make my recipes. You could totally find me and tell me it sucks, to my face! LOL! Glad it turned out and 3 outta 4 ain’t bad!
Melanie says
Just made this. 3 of 4 kids LOVE this. One had a fever last night and is crying. We’re gonna count that as faulty data and say this was 100% successful! YUM. (I used VGO)
Karlee says
Mmm….now I have to make some Mac N Cheese! I have a few good recipes, one with bread crumbs on top with cheese…MMMmmmmm…..best comfort food and my most favorite food on earth! 🙂