Creamy Tomato Soup Macaroni And Cheese
Creamy tomato soup macaroni and cheese takes the classic pairing of grilled cheese and tomato soup and combines it into one rich, delicious pasta bake. This baked mac and cheese recipe is a creamy pasta casserole your whole family will love!
What’s more classic than grilled cheese and tomato soup?
Not much.
It’s comfort food to the max.
The combo is cozy and reminds me of the Campbell’s soup commercial where the little boy is a snowman and melts when he eats his soup.
Yes, I know that it’s for chicken soup, but still the grilled cheese tomato soup combo gives me that warm your soul up feeling.
And so does this tomato soup macaroni and cheese.
It combines the rich tomato soup flavor with the creamy cheese sauce and pasta from macaroni and cheese.
The result?
A delicious baked pasta dish that is serious comfort food perfection.
Ingredients
This homemade mac and cheese tastes gourmet, but uses easy to find ingredients.
To make it you’ll need:
- Pasta– Pick a short tubular pasta like cavatappi, rotini, or penne
- Roux ingredients– Butter and flour
- Milk– Whole milk is best for maximum richness
- Cheese– Shredded cheddar cheese
- Marinara sauce– Your favorite jarred kind, or homemade marinara if you have some.
- Tomato paste– For the richness in the sauce
- Salt and pepper– To taste
- Bread crumbs– Panko
- Italian seasoning– For the bread crumb topping
- Melted butter– For the topping
How to Make
Making tomato soup macaroni and cheese is pretty similar to making regular mac and cheese, but you stir some marinara and tomato paste to the cheese sauce.
To do it, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until al dente.
As soon as the pasta is done immediately strain the pasta and run it under cold water, stirring to stop the pasta from cooking further.
While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce.
Start making the sauce by melting the butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
As soon as it’s melted whisk in the flour.
Let it cook 30 seconds to cook off any flour taste, stirring constantly to make sure the roux reaches a smooth paste like consistency.
At this point, turn the heat up to medium high and whisk in the milk 1/2 cup at a time, until all the milk’s been incorporated and simmer.
Whisk often and keep cooking it until the sauce has thickened.
Then turn the heat down to medium low, and whisk in the cheese one cup at a time until all the cheese has been incorporated into a smooth sauce.
Stir the marinara sauce and tomato paste into the cheese sauce.
Add the pasta into the pot of sauce, and gently toss until all of the pasta is coated in sauce.
Season it with salt and pepper, to taste.
Spread the pasta mixture out in a 9×13″ baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Stir together the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and melted butter in a small mixing bowl until evenly combined.
Spread the seasoned bread crumbs out evenly over top of the casserole.
Bake the macaroni and cheese at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven, serve, and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge in the tightly covered casserole dish or air tight dish.
Reheat the casserole in the oven or individual portions in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overcook your pasta. You want it just barely al dente. It will cook further while it bakes in the oven.
- Can’t find cavatappi noodles? No worries. Use penne, ziti, spirals or elbow macaroni instead.
- For extra crispy breadcrumbs, turn on the broiler for a minute or two at the end of baking. Make sure to keep a close eye on it if using the broiler to prevent burning.
Other Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Tomato soup macaroni and cheese is a creamy, cozy mash up of mac and cheese and rich tomato soup that’ll warm you right up.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other macaroni and cheese recipes?
Try these:
- Breakfast Mac And Cheese
- Pepper Jack Mac And Cheese With Chicken
- BLT Macaroni And Cheese
- Pimento Cheese Macaroni And Cheese
- Buffalo Mac And Cheese
If you’ve tried this CREAMY TOMATO SOUP MACARONI & CHEESE, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Creamy Tomato Soup Macaroni And Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta like cavatapi, rotini, or penne
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 4 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions JUST until al dente. Immediately strain the pasta. Run it under cold water, stirring to stop the pasta from cooking further.1 lb pasta
- In a large heavy bottomed pot melt the butter over medium heat. As soon as it's melted add the flour, whisking to combine. Let the mixture bubble for 30 seconds to cook off any flour taste.3 1/2 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup flour
- Raise the temperature to medium high and add in the milk 1/2 cup at a time, until all the milk's been incorporated and simmer, whisking often, until the roux has thickened.2 1/2 cups milk
- Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the cheese- one cup at a time- whisking until all the cheese has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth.4 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Add the marinara sauce & tomato paste to the cheese sauce, whisking to evenly combine.2 1/2 cups marinara sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Add the pasta into the pot, and gently toss until all of the pasta is evenly combined & saucy. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.salt & pepper
- Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and melted butter to a small mixing bowl. Stir together until evenly combined, and then spread them out evenly over top of the casserole.1 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp melted butter
- Bake the macaroni & cheese at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t overcook your pasta. You want it just barely al dente. It will cook further while it bakes in the oven.
- Can’t find cavatappi noodles? No worries. Use penne, ziti, spirals or elbow macaroni instead.
- For extra crispy breadcrumbs, turn on the broiler for a minute or two at the end of baking. Make sure to keep a close eye on it if using the broiler to prevent burning.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Carmyy
Recipe is missing what to set your oven to! Just wanted to share that information, I didn’t make this dish but it looks good!
Oops! Thanks for catching that big gaff. This bakes at 350 degrees, and I’ll make sure to update the recipe to reflect that now. Hope you try it- it’s even better than it looks!!