Easy Macaroni and Cheese Bake

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% my own.
It's barely fall but I'm already craving all the comfort foods. I have made homemade soup exactly four thousand times since summer ended and this macaroni and cheese bake about five million. I need all the warm yummy foods in my belly right this second. As much as I love comfort foods, I also love recipes that are quick and easy and don't take a lot of time. Time is not something this mama has a lot of now that school is back in session. We are pulled in every direction, but family meal time is still a priority for us. If I can get a meal on the table in under a half an hour, even better! I'm sharing this easy mac and cheese bake that you can make in no time. It's a meal the whole family will love!

Easy Macaroni and Cheese Bake

I have two very active kids at home still {one is off to college} and I feel like I'm at the grocery store a few times a week. These kids are eating like crazy and I'm always needing to stock up. Thankfully, my local Safeway is just down the street and I can pop in for a quick ingredient I'm missing or I can stock up during the Stock Up Sale which means I can get all my favorite staples from General Mills, Kraft and Nabisco at a great value. I've always been a bargain shopper and usually buy what's on sale. Using the Safeway app makes it easy for me to do that because I can easily track what's on sale and add it to my list. Then, when I get to the store, everything is right there listed out for me by aisle.

I recently picked up everything I needed for the mac and cheese bake at Safeway. I'm excited to share this family favorite recipe with you.

You will need:

2 boxes of Annie's Macaroni and Cheese 2/3 cup of Ritz crackers crumbled 1 cup of cheddar cheese 1/2 cup of milk 4 Tbsp. butter

Follow the directions on the macaroni and cheese box. Once your mac and cheese is made according to the directions, stir in the cheddar cheese. Pour into a buttered baking dish, sprinkle the crushed Ritz crackers evenly on top and bake 12-14 minutes {or until bubbly} at 400 degrees.

Start to finish, the macaroni and cheese bake took me less than 30 minutes. As it was baking, I could make a salad as a side dish and help kids with homework.

I've taken this dish to potlucks too and it gets gobbled up in no time. It's a real crowd pleaser! Probably because everyone loves a good comfort food.

Lucky you! Safeway is giving away groceries for a year to one lucky winner. I can't think of one family who couldn't use this prize. Not a single one. I'm stocking up at Safeway, but you can also find these great products at your local Albertsons Companies grocery stores including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw's, Star Market, United Express, United and Carrs/Safeway. Between 10/4-10/19, show Safeway how you stock up your pantry. Share a photo of how you've loaded up your favorite items, including those from the list below. Entry is as easy and 1-2-3!

1) Take a photo featuring two or more of the participating Stock Up Sale products below 2) Share the photo on Twitter or Instagram at Safeway by 10/19 3) Use #StockUpSale2017 and #Sweepstakes in your caption to complete your entry find the official rules and details here

• Participating products:

o   Honey Nut Cheerios™

o   Cheerios™ 8.90oz.

o   Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ 12.20oz.

o   Progresso™ Traditional, Rich & Hearty, Reduced Sodium, Light Soup, Vegetable Classic, selected varieties 18-19oz

o   Nature Valley™ Granola Bars 7.44oz-8.44oz

o   Yoplait® Traditional Yogurt, 4-6oz, selected varieties

o   Oui™ by Yoplait® Strawberry French Style Yogurt 5oz.

o   Annie’s™ Natural Mac & Cheese 6oz; selected varieties

o   Old El Paso™ Shells

o   Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls 15ct, Totino Party Pizza 9.8-10.4oz, selected varieties

o   Betty Crocker™ Hamburger Helpers, 4.7-8.7oz, selected varieties

o   Betty  Crocker™ Fruit Snacks, 4.5-8oz, selected varieties

o   Chex Mix™ 8-8.75oz, selected varieties

o   Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Cake Mix, 15.25 - 16.25oz., select varieties

o   Betty Crocker™ Whipped Frosting, Milk Chocolate 12oz.

o   Betty Crocker™ Brownie Mix, Chocolate 18.40oz.

o   Pillsbury™ Apple Toaster Strudel™, 6ct., 11.70oz.

o   Coca-Cola MiniCans

o   Dasani Sparkling Black Cherry

o    Classico Tomato Basil

o   Heinz Ketchup

o   OREO 14.3 oz

o   Ritz 13.7 oz

Stock up now my friends. Good luck to you! If you need me, I'll be over here eating this mac and cheese bake all of the days. 
disclaimer: this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% my own.