BYA few weeks ago my house turned into a video set and today you get to see why! Â 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. Â #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. Â Add chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Â Stir over low heat until everything is combined and heated through. Â Spoon mixture into a serving dish, or 6 individual ramekins. Â 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. Â Serves: 6.
Brought to you by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.
Totally thought that was going to be a Mormon Message before the box of Mac and Cheese came on. Ha! I also have not seen this at Smith’s-which is the only place I shop. Maybe soon I guess!
LOL- I love the film style of those videos, this definitely takes the same approach. Love it! “My name is Sara. I’m a Mom, a maid, and a mac n’ cheese eater.” 😉
Looks good, but it seems like all your recipes lately have been based on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Is this your blog, or a commercial? How many recipes are going to be posted with Mac and Cheese? I don’t mean to be harsh. It just makes me think you’re just about using a product you’re being paid to advertise. Its been frustrating enough lately always wading through all the pop up ads you have on here. Are the recipes just going to be commercials too? Post ads on the side of your blog. Make links to great recipes using the products. Don’t make selling a product the whole subject of your blog. I’m about to stop checking in. I see enough commercials already.
Jenna, part of our full-time jobs involve working as freelance food writers. We’ve made it clear that we are enjoying developing original recipes for Kraft’s four new varieties (this is the 4th and final one) this month so that’s why we’re sharing them with our audience. Since we have a vast array of readers in our demographic, we post a vast array of recipe types, and some of those involve brands that we support and choose to partner with in sponsored content. There are over 750 in our recipe index, so while we understand that you might not enjoy these specific ones, we hope you’ll enjoy some new ones you haven’t tried before by browsing the index. Happy Cooking!
This is like a cheater shortcut for your bacon artichoke penne bake, which we love, but sometimes I don’t want to get all those dishes dirty or don’t have time. Having a shortcut that’s similar is awesome. Thanks!
Yes, exactly Ellie- good eye! 🙂
I was wondering where you got your cute individual sized baking dishes both in the video and in the blog post. Thanks!
I picked up those cute baking dishes at my local Marshall’s store. My store almost always carries similar items on a regular basis. Check it out and see if you can score a deal- I think those were only $2 bucks each!
Oh, and the blue/yellow/green ramekins are from World Market. I bought them this past spring, but they might still have them!
I’m making this for dinner tonight! Where did you get your adorable serving dishes? I love the red!
Steffanie- see my comment to Bobbi! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Wow – I am looking for this tonight – I have some grilled chicken that needs to be eaten and this looks so good!!!
Ok I may have missed something along the way with these mac ‘n cheese recipes, I’m like the kid in class with the “huh” look on her face, but I went to Walmart the other day and could not find them. So where do we find the new flavors? Are they only in certain stores right now or a section in the store?
Elina, they’re new, so they might still be rolling out into stores near you. Where I live, all of my Walmarts carry them (they’re by the regular Mac n’ Cheese, and the box looks very similar, so you sometimes have to really look to spot them!) and I’ve bought them at my local Albertsons as well. I would imagine if they’re not in your stores yet, they should be very soon!
The Garlic and Herb one is the ONE I am dying to try and the closest store that carries it is over 30+ miles from my house. I live in Salt Lake, for crying out loud! 🙂 You can look on Kraft’s website (the link at the bottom of the page – Yes the ad!) will take you there and you can type in what you are searching for. It will tell you what stores by you have which kinds! Hope this help!
You and your family are the cutest ever!!! Thanks for sharing.
Looks delicious! Would you mind sharing where your cute measuring cups are from?
Those are from World Market! Here’s the link.
Thank you!
Fun video!! I’ve been drooling over your 2 recipes now with the new Kraft mac and cheese flavors. Gotta try them!!