Favorite Ingredients Friday!

Once upon a time there was a wonderful food message board at BH&G. Several months ago they made some major changed and not for the better. I haven't been there since shortly after the changes. It was a wonderful community of women and men that I got to know over the years. Many of them have since moved over the Southern Living boards, but it's just not the same to me. It's lost something, even though I do enjoy the SL site.

One of the mainstays of the old board, and now the new, is Joan. She usually starts the What's for Dinner thread every day. Her recipes are amazing. I've made several, and they've been winners.

This is one that I made one day when Jim was having some friends over for a little game playing. These men chowed down on this dish, yet I still had leftovers. It makes a lot! It's sure to please the men and children in your family.

Sloppy Joe, Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

Makes 10 servings

1. 1 lb. cavatappi pasta, elbow twists or plain elbows
2. 1 lb. lean ground beef
3. 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
4. 1 can (6oz) tomato paste
5. 1 pkg. Sloppy Joe seasoning
6. 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
7. 3 cups of half and half
8. 1/4 cup butter
9. 1 small onion minced, about 1/2 cup
10. 1/4 cup flour
11. 1 tsp. Coleman’s dry mustard powder
12. 1 tsp. salt
13. 1/4 tsp. pepper
14. 2 pkgs. (8 oz. ea.) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, about 4 cups divided

Cook pasta according to pkg. directions, drain, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a baking dish (8 cup) well with butter and place on a baking sheet. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef until browned, drain and return to pan. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow flavors to blend.

Stir Worcestershire sauce into half and half, set aside. In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onion; cook until just tender. Whisk in flour, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute, whisking occasionally. Gradually whisk in half and half mixture until combined. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 1 min. Remove from heat; stir in 3 cups of the cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in pasta.

Spread half of the pasta into the prepared pan evenly. Put in all the Sloppy Joe mixture and spread that evenly over the top of the pasta mixture. Spread the remaining pasta mixture evenly over the top of the Sloppy Joe mixture. Coat a piece of tin foil with cooking spray and cover the dish. Bake on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the dish. Bake for 10 more min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is hot and bubbly.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ