Busy day? Take it easy with this Easy Caprese Mac and Cheese. Jazz up your mac and cheese with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in this Caprese inspired macaroni and cheese.
This parenting thing is much harder than I ever imagined it would be. Being a mom is the only thing I ever wanted to be when I “grew up”, but I think that it’s one of those things that is really hard to grasp just how much it entails until you are in the throes of parenthood.
All I want is what is best for my kids and for my family, but sometimes that is hard. On paper, a lot of it looks easy. Make sure your kids are fed and clean and educated. Easy as that, right? But as it turns out, none of it is even close to easy.
I’m definitely not a perfect parent, but I work on trying to be a better parent every day. And lately, I have been on a quest to feed better food to my family on a regular basis. That means a lot more whole foods, but realistically, I know that as a working mother, I need help sometimes. My time is precious, and often, I’d rather be in helping with homework or playing with my kids instead of being in the kitchen. I think this is something that most parents struggle with.
Enter mac and cheese. As a new mother, I quickly learned that my child (and now children) love mac and cheese. To this day, it is one of their favorite foods. We have been long time fans of Horizon® (my kids adore their peanut butter sandwich crackers!), so I was really excited to try out the Horizon® Mac & Cheese. And I love that I can feel good about feeding Horizon® Mac & Cheese to my whole family. Horizon® is part of the National Organic Program (NOP), which prohibits the use of GMOs. Horizon’s farmers work hard to keep their cows in good health, they give them daily care and fresh air and a wholesome organic diet. Their cows also get to spend time outside to exercise, socialize and interact with the land. Those are some happy cows!!
And it doesn’t hurt that all of Horizon’s Mac & Cheese varieties are made with real USDA-certified cheddar cheese and USDA certified organic wheat pasta.
As much as my kids love mac and cheese, mom and dad don’t always want to sit down at the dinner table with just a bowl of mac and cheese. So I thought it would be fun to jazz it up, making the perfect dish for the whole family.
I can never get enough of the Caprese flavors – tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. So I thought the whole family would love a Caprese Mac and Cheese. And I was right!!
I used the Horizon® Pasta Shells & White Cheddar Cheese for my Caprese mac and cheese. I thought the flavors would work perfectly. It’s as simple as making the Horizon® Mac & Cheese, then you stir in some fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. I originally thought to roast the tomatoes, but then I decided I wanted the freshness from the tomatoes, and I definitely think I made the right decision. For the mozzarella, I used mozzarella pearls. These were such a fun addition – you would get little bursts of mozzarella cheese that everyone loved.
If you are looking for a quick idea, this Caprese Mac and Cheese recipe is for you!
If your kids are mac and cheese lovers (and the parents, too!), you need to check out the new Horizon MAC-N-ATOR™ tool from Horizon! You can enter in the ingredients you have on hand, and it will create a mac and cheese recipe for you!! My kids are going to go crazy with this.
Check out the Horizon MAC-N-ATOR™.
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Easy Caprese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Pasta Shells & White Cheddar Cheese Horizon Classic Mac plus ingredients called for on the box
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 cup mozzarella pearls
- 1/4 cup shredded basil
Instructions
- Prepare the Horizon mac and cheese according to the directions on the box.
- Once it is complete, stir in the tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil. Serve immediately.
Enjoy Horizon Mac & Cheese as a versatile meal and keep your family happy. Try different vegetables in the dish to promote alternative uses of Horizon products or let your imagination take over.
Horizon is a pioneer in the organic industry. Every choice they make is carefully considered with National Organic Program (NOP) guidelines in mind. Horizon Mac & Cheese is made with these guidelines and the happy family in mind. For more information, visit Horizon’s website.
This conversation is sponsored by Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.
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