Eating the same old thing during quarantine may get boring, so we thought we’d share an easy recipe that we hope will please the whole family!

We hope this finds you and your family well, as we know that every one of us is facing challenges big and small during this unprecedented time of disrupted schedules and uncertainty. One of the many things you may be juggling right now is having to make all of your meals at home, which for some people is far more cooking than you might have done during pre-quarantine time! 

In the best of times it can be a struggle to come up with tasty and nutritious dishes that everyone in your household will enjoy, and now with many of us eating three meals a day at home every day, even favorite recipes can start to feel stale. We found this easy-to-make recipe for homemade barbeque pork (or chicken) mac & cheese that we hope will make an upcoming dinner night at home a little more enjoyable for you and your family.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ready in 40 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

8 oz elbow macaroni

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

½ TSP salt

¼ – ½ TSP pepper

¼ cup parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 pound of pre-made BBQ pulled pork (or pulled chicken)

Directions:

First, bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until it’s cooked through but is firm to the bite, about 8 minutes (depending on the brand, so check the directions on the box). Drain the pasta and set it aside.

Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add both cheeses to the milk mixture and stir until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 4 minutes.

Fold the macaroni into the cheese sauce until all of the pasta is coated.  Pour the cheesy noodles into a casserole dish or loaf pan and sprinkle the top with bread crumbs.

Finally, layer the BBQ pulled pork or pulled chicken across the top of the mac and cheese. Place the casserole in the preheated oven to bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool for 2-5 minutes before you serve, and enjoy the BBQ mac and cheese with a side of steamed green beans, sauteed broccoli, or your favorite green salad for a meal everyone will love!