Cerealously Cheesy
Baked Mac & Cheese Casserole with a Crunchy Cheerios Crust
30 minutes
Serves 4
DinnerItalianGluten-freeNut-freeShellfish-freeSoy-free
Herb's take
Some say mac and cheese is perfect as is. Others say it could use a little crunch. With this Italian-inspired casserole, you’ll learn how to transform boxed mac into a textural adventure, thanks to a secret cereal weapon.
Ingredients
Yield
4
Instructions
- 01Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- 02Prepare the boxed mac and cheese according to package directions, using 1/2 cup whole milk and 2 tbsp of the melted butter provided in the ingredients. Stir in the cheese sauce until completely smooth.
- 03Mix in the grated Parmesan, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Transfer the mac and cheese to a greased 8x8 inch baking dish, smoothing the top.
- 04Place the Cheerios in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin until you have coarse crumbs.
- 05In a small bowl, combine the crushed Cheerios with the remaining 1 tbsp melted butter. Toss to coat evenly.
- 06Sprinkle the buttered Cheerios mixture evenly over the mac and cheese in the baking dish.
- 07Bake uncovered for 12–15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling around the edges.
- 08Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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