Good Bowls - Farmhouse Mac ‘n Cheese Recipe

At Good Bowls, we share all of our recipes. The Farmhouse Mac ‘n Cheese is the newest addition to the Good Bowls family and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. This Bowl is a hearty Cavatappi noodle in a creamy cheese sauce combined with BBQ chicken, mixed vegetables, and a bit of apple.

It makes a great lunch or easily batches up for a recipe the whole family will enjoy.

Farmhouse Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients - Serves 4

Chicken Marinade
Chicken thigh - cubed - 1/2 pound
Orange Juice - 1/2 oz
Honey - 1 tbsp
BBQ Sauce - 1 tbsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
orange zest - 1 tsp

Vegetable Mixture
Broccoli - medium floret - 5 oz
Sweet potatoes - small cubes - 5 oz
Squash - full moons - 5 oz
Olive Oil - 6 tbsp

Cheese Sauce
Olive Oil - 5 tbsp
Flour - 5 tbsp
Milk - 2.5 cups
Extra Sharp Cheddar - 12 oz (don’t use pre-shredded)
Smoked Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Onion Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 2 tsp

Final Mixture
Pasta - Celantanni or Cavatappi - 1 pound uncooked
Apple - 1 Gala apple - peeled and cut to small pieces

The Farmhouse Mac ‘n Cheese - the classic dish you’ve always loved with the Good Bowls twist. Cheesy as always and packed with seasoned roasted vegetables and BBQ Chicken

Preparation:

  1. De-fat chicken and place in mixing bowl with other marinade ingredients.  Mix thoroughly, cover, let marinate at least 1 hour or overnight. 

  2. Bake chicken in covered dish or grill until fully cooked.  Cut into cubes and set aside

  3. Cut vegetables into prescribed pieces, place in separate mixing bowls.  Evenly divide spices and mix thoroughly.  Bake vegetables at 425 until 75% done and still firm and colorful

  4. Cut Broccoli and Squash into smaller pieces once cooked before mixing into final dish.

  5. Make Cheese Sauce - add flour and olive oil to saucepan - whisk over medium heat until slightly brown - stir in warmed milk and bring to light simmer.  Reduce heat and stir in cheese, paprika, mustard, onion powder, salt, and mustard.

  6. Cook pasta until al dente - it will continue cooking in the oven 

  7. Mix pasta, apples, chicken, vegetables, and cheese sauce into large Pyrex dish and bake uncovered at 325º for 10-15 minutes.