Tastefully Simple Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese Mix Review

Since I am an independent Tastefully Simple consultant, I need to try all the products in my catalogs.  There are two catalogs a year, a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter.  The catalog for Fall/Winter started recently, so I had a lot of food to try.  One of those items was Tastefully Simple Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese.  To be perfectly honest, I had low expectations for this product - afterall, it does come out of a box, but....you would never be able to tell!

I have made this product three times and all three times, I have never followed the directions on the box.  Plain mac & cheese out of a box sounds boring, so I added my own touch and the result is best described as what my husband said: "One of the best mac & cheeses that I've ever had".  That's not because I sell it either!  It really is that good.

A package of Tastefully Simple Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese includes spiral pasta, a cheese packet and a packet of crumb topping.  All you need to make this is milk and cheese, if you want to follow the directions on the box.  But why would you do that when you can follow my recipe?  My recipe is below.

1. Cook the spiral pasta and set aside.  Saute chopped onion and minced garlic in butter until soft, then remove from pan and set aside. 

2. In a separate pot, combine cheese packet and milk and heat until thick, but don't boil!  Add black pepper and a dash of powdered mustard.

3. Spray onion/garlic pan with cooking spray and brown cubed, ham steak.  Since the ham is already cooked, you are only browning for color and flavor. 

4. When cheese sauce is thickened, add 3 cups of cheddar cheese and stir until melted.  Combine pasta, onions/garlic, ham and cheese sauce and pour into a greased 8 x 8 square baking dish. 

5. You can either sprinkle the included crumb topping, or do as I do and sprinkle more cheddar cheese on top instead.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until top is gooey and melted.

I'm not a big ham person, but the saltiness of the ham goes EXCELLENT with the creaminess of the cheese and the savoriness of the butter, onions and garlic.  This recipe has worked out so well, I have prepared the Tastefully Simple Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese this way every time I've made it. 

If you have any questions or would like a free catalog, just send me a comment!