Ingredients:
3 c shredded potatoes, drained & pressed
0.25 c butter, melted
12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
0.5 c onion, finely chopped
1 - 16 oz carton of small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage or bacon (or nothing!), cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture. Bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can prepare this dish the night before.
Hot Mama Grade: A
Hot Mama Notes: Again, I didn't make this recipe, but my friend Lisa brought it to my potluck brunch. It was fabulous. I would totally make this! I loved it!!! :) My picky middle kid did not like the shredded potatoes in the casserole, but I thought it was AMAZING!! Also, this original recipe calls for sausage, but when Lisa brought it to my potluck, it had no meat. It was excellent with no meat. Or, as ever, I am preferential to BACON, so I bet this casserole would be great with bacon. I am not a fan of sausage, so I probably wouldn't put that in. :) I really liked the cheesy taste of the casserole. The cottage cheese really makes it creamy and tasty.
Ingredients:
3 c Rotini Pasta
1 T Olive Oil
3 t Salt
2-14 oz Broccoli Florets
1/3 c Butter
3 c Milk
2.25 c Shredded Cheddar Cheese
0.75 c Shredded Swiss Cheese
0.5 t Ground Garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350F.
2. Boil water with olive oil. Add 2t salt and the pasta. Wait for reboil. Cook until al dente.
3. Cook broccoli in microwave. Drain any water.
4. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour and milk. Whisk until mixture boils and thickens. Add 1.5 c cheddar cheese, 0.75c swiss cheese, salt, and garlic. Stir until blended.
5. Add cooked broccoli, red pepper, and drained pasta to the cheese sauce. Mix well. Spoon into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with 0.75c shredded cheddar.
6. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Hot Mama Grade: A-
Hot Mama Notes:
I thought this mac and cheese was delicious! It was very rich and
creamy. Not super easy to make, but certainly not hard. I thought the
kids would love it, but really only the eldest liked it. I added a
bunch of other things, too. I added diced ham. I added cauliflower as
well as broccoli, because that is what I had. I did have red pepper.
All my veggies were fresh and steamed. I don't like swiss cheese at
all, so I believe I used mozarella instead. Anyway, I really liked this
recipe, but I am not sure I will make it again for my family (note that
my husband is lactose intolerant, so it's not a really good food choice
for the family! :O), but I think I would make it for a potluck. Maybe
just mac and cheese, and not veggie mac, since I wouldn't want the same
mutiny I got from my middle kid (WHY ARE THERE VEGGIES IN MY MAC AND
CHEESE, MOM? I AM NOT EATING THIS!!).
