Baked Mac ’n’ Cheese Dinner Two Ways
Keep It Simple with Garlic Crostini + Mix It Up with Honey-Mustard Kale Salad
- Milk
- Wheat
- Tree Nuts
- Eggs
- Soy
Do you like cooking two different meals every night? Of course not! So here’s our 2-in-1 solution: You’ll whip up a comforting, crowd-pleasing dinner legend–baked mac ’n’ cheese with a crunchy panko topping. Serve it straight-up alongside toasty tomato crostini, or then sprinkle on the hot sauce and add a honey-mustard kale salad with walnuts and crispy fried onions for those who want to mix it up. One meal, two ways, all at the same time.
Ingredients
1 cup
Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
½ ounce
Walnuts
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Kale
6 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1.5 ounce
Honey Dijon Dressing
(Contains: Eggs)
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Mushroom Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Tomato
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 unit
Demi-Baguette
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
3 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Adjust racks to top and middle positions and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Peel and mince garlic. Slice baguette crosswise into 8-10 rounds (16-20 rounds for 4 servings). Dice tomato into ½-inch pieces. Remove and discard any large stems from kale; chop into bite-size pieces.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine minced garlic, 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4), and a pinch of salt. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave until butter has melted and garlic is fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Stir and set aside (you’ll use it in Step 5).
Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
While pasta cooks, in a large pan, whisk together cream sauce base and 1 cup water (2 cups for 4 servings) over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and add cream cheese, stock concentrate, and garlic powder.
Cook, whisking, until cream cheese is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Whisk in cheddar and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer cheese sauce to pot with drained cavatappi; stir to combine. Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings) with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer mac ’n’ cheese to prepared baking dish.
In a second small bowl, combine panko, 1 tsp oil (1½ tsp for 4), salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Evenly sprinkle mac ’n’ cheese with seasoned panko. TIP: Not sure if everyone loves a crunchy topping? Leave it off or just sprinkle it over half the dish.
Bake on top rack until browned and crispy, 12-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, arrange baguette rounds on a baking sheet and brush with garlic butter. Toast on middle rack until golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
Top crostini with tomato. Season with salt and pepper.
Place kale in a large bowl with a large drizzle of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Using your hands, massage kale (similar to how you would knead dough) until leaves are tender, 1 minute. TIP: Don’t skip this step—massaging helps the kale leaves wilt slightly, giving them a tender (not fibrous!) texture.
Add dressing; toss to combine.
Keep It Simple: Divide mac ’n’ cheese between bowls. Serve with crostini.
Mix It Up: Divide mac ’n’ cheese between plates and drizzle with hot sauce to taste. Top kale salad with walnuts and serve on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the creamy, crispy mac 'n' cheese, while some found it bland; the crostini and kale salad received mixed reviews.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was time-consuming with lots of cleanup; some struggled with kale prep and sauce consistency.
- Suggestions: Consider roasting the kale for better flavor, and anchor breadcrumbs with melted cheese for a crunchier topping.
- Portions: Generous servings left many with leftovers; some felt it was too much food for one meal.
- Versatility: The "two ways" concept was praised for balance, with the fresh kale salad complementing the rich mac 'n' cheese 🍲.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was a favorite in my household. My husband raved about the Crostini and the Mac and Cheese. I cooked the kale for 10 minutes and then cooled it and that made it a great addition to mix in the Mac and Cheese or to eat with the honey mustard dressing. I would get this meal again in a heartbeat!
This recipe for Mac 'n' Cheese was the best I have ever eaten. It seems anytime there is a group meeting several people bring Mac 'n' Cheese and I'm not a fan of it. I probably go for a year or two without eating it or even thinking of. Again this recipe was great.
Beautifully crispy and creamy, as if fresh out of the oven. Delicious both ways, and the sides made for wonderful little appetizers. A lovely take on a perfect classic.
Had enough for leftovers! Everything was very good. I would recommend massaging the kale with the dressing and not adding more oil to it.
This is pretty tasty but I think all that added butter on the crostini is needless - toasted bread rounds for more traditional bruschetta would be much nicer and topped with the chopped tomatoes and garlic in olive oil. I thought based on the name it was actually going to be two quick variations on mac and cheese. I roasted the kale as a tastier option. This is also insanely pan and bowl intensive; for example one could easily start the sauce in the pasta pan
Loved the "two ways" concept. The meal is very balanced - the freshness of the kale salad balances the richness of the Mac and cheese. The flavors were great! The only downfall was there was a lot of cleanup.
This was a very heavy meal but delicious. I personally would prefer to have the kale as leaves that I chop as I prefer not to have stem pieces.
Hardy and delicious! Great to have ready to add to a meal for the larger family!
Was a very tasty dish. I made a sandwich with it cause it felt like all sides would order again
Loved the addition of the bruschetta! The kale salad was something new for me.
