Recipe: Italian Macaroni and Cheese (baked using plum tomatoes and cheddar)

ITALIAN MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 (16 ounce) can plum tomatoes, diced in their juice
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch each of thyme and oregano
2 cups cheddar cheese cubes
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

Buttered bread crumbs

Heat the tomatoes with the onions and seasonings and set aside.

Melt the cheese in the milk with the mustard. Stir the pasta into the cheese mixture.

In a baking dish layer 1/3 of cheese and macaroni and top with 1/3 of the tomatoes. Repeat the layers, ending with the macaroni on top. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees F until hot.

Source: Elsie Lee Briggs, Moultrie GA , 5 Star Tastes of the South, PBS, 1996