Bacon Mac And Cheese Food

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to box directions and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add flour and stir constantly until smooth.
• Turn heat to medium and add milk stirring constantly until thick. (About 10 minutes).
• Add hot sauce. Stir until mixed in evenly.
• Add pasta, bacon and cheese. Mix until cheese melts, bacon is mixed in, and pasta is evenly coated.
• Pour macaroni and cheese into a 9x13 baking dish and top according to taste.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. (If using parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs take it out when the top looks lightly browned. If using cheddar cheese topping take out when top becomes darkened, but not burnt.).

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

BACON MAC N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).
• Toss the chopped bacon and water into a thick-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat. By adding water you allow the bacon to gradually release its fat and brown evenly without burning. Continue cooking until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps nicely.
• Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside, but leave the fat. Add the garlic and stir for several minutes to release its flavor. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth paste or roux. Cook for a few minutes more to toast the roux and allow it to develop a bit more flavor.
• Add the milk and switch to a whisk for stirring. Whisk until the sauce is smooth again and continue cooking, and whisking, for about 5 minutes or so, until the sauce is quite thick.
• Stir in the cheese, Dijon, paprika, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss in the pasta and the reserved bacon, coat them well with the sauce and turn it all into a 9- X 13-inch (3.5 L) casserole or baking dish.
• Toss the bread with a splash or two of olive oil, then sprinkle it over the cheese mixture. Bake until it is heated through and the bread is toasty brown, about 30 minutes or so.
• If your house is anything like mine, they've already smelled the bacon and are lined up, waiting to share!
• Freestyle Twist: Bacon is dandy but feel free to add your own twist by switching it for grilled chicken, lobster or ham! Toss in some peas or any other vegetable you have on hand add color and flavor to your personalized mac n' cheese.

BROCCOLI AND BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs, adding the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon; reserve the drippings in the pan.
• Add the scallion whites, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the saucepan. Cook until slightly softened, 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and mustard; cook, whisking, until the flour is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and reserved pasta water. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheeses; cook, whisking, until creamy, about 2 more minutes.
• Stir the pasta, broccoli and Canadian bacon into the cheese sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the scallion greens.

BACON BURGER MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta shy of al dente, 5 to 6 minutes.
• While the water comes to a boil, heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and remove some of the drippings, leaving a thin layer. Add the beef, brown and crumble, but leave a few larger pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Once the beef has caramelized, add the onions and cook to tender. Add the stock and Worcestershire, then reduce the heat to low.
• In a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Thicken to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the cheese. When the cheese has melted into the sauce, stir in the mustard, ketchup, relish and hot sauce. Combine the pasta with the sauce and fold in the meat. Place in a large casserole dish. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring the casserole to room temp then bake until brown and bubbly on top and golden at edges, 45 to 50 minutes.

KILLER MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and set the pan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat: Reserve that deliciousness!
• Add the butter and onion to the pan with the bacon fat; season with salt and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk, mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco. Season with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 6 to 8 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome, with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center-this is al dente. Drain the pasta.
• Add the Cheddar, fontina and Parmesan to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta. The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately. (If making ahead, transfer to a baking dish or ramekins, then reheat in a 375 degree oven.)

DRESSED-UP BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart shallow casserole dish. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain; transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish along with 1/4 cup of the cold milk. (This will cool the pasta and prevent it from becoming gummy.)
• Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Beat the eggs with 1/4 cup of the milk in a medium bowl. Add the scallions, bread and half of the cheese to the egg mixture; set aside.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until just brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and 3/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil, whisking until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheese. Add the sauce to the macaroni; stir to combine.
• Crumble up the bacon and add it to the egg/bread mixture. Spread evenly over the pasta. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; let sit 5 minutes before serving.

BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from skillet and crumble (discard bacon fat).
• Heat broiler. In a large straight-sided, oven-safe skillet, melt butter. Remove 1 tablespoon butter and combine with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
• Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Very gradually whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Add macaroni and cook, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pan, until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining cheese and the bacon and mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Top with breadcrumb mixture and broil until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

CHIPOTLE-BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Bring 1 gallon water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a stock pot; add pasta. Cook 8 to 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain; rinse with cold water. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. (Do not brown flour.) Add half-and-half, next 2 ingredients, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking constantly, 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened. Gradually add cheeses, stirring until blended. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in cooked pasta. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
• Sauté chipotle pepper in remaining 1 tablespoon hot corn oil in a small skillet over medium heat 30 seconds or until mixture begins to smoke. Remove from heat and quickly stir in bacon and panko until coated. Sprinkle mixture over pasta.
• Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and crisp on top. Serve immediately.

BEER BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring an 8 qt covered pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente (has a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large 12" skillet over medium-high. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite-size pieces over the skillet and let them to fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.
• Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.
• Pour reserved bacon drippings back into the skillet over medium heat and add butter.
• Once the butter is melted add flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flour-y taste to cook off.
• Add spices, beer and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Allow to come to boil for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a bubble. Once you see the first few bubbles in the pan remove from heat and add cooked bacon, Worchershire and cheese. Stir to combine.
• Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce.
• Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with chives and serve.
• NOTES from Author of recipe Donna Elick :.
• Recipe may be doubled. Simply use 2x the ingredients and follow cooking directions.
• The sauce will thicken as it cools. If the sauce is too thick, add milk a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding 1/4 cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached.
• Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions.

CHEDDAR-BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook macaroni as directed on package. Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Stir in flour; cook 2 min. or until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; cook on medium heat until mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese; cook and stir 5 min. or until melted.
• Drain macaroni. Add to sauce with bacon; mix lightly. Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole; top with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

BACON SWISS MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot boil salted water and cook pasta for 8 minutes then drain and set aside.
• 2. In a bowl mix the milk, broth and flour and whisk until flour is dissolved. Then pour the milk mixture, garlic powder, basil, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper into a sauce pan sprayed with cooking spray and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until milk begins to thicken. Then add the swiss cheese, and parmesan cheese and continue to stir until cheese is melted (around 3 minutes).
• 3. In a small pan sprayed with cooking spray cook the bacon pieces over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until crispy. Then set bacon aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.
• 4. Combine the pasta and cheese sauce and toss well. Then top with bacon pieces and serve.

BACON MAC AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Combine cheeses. Bring 1-1/2 cups milk just to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk flour and remaining milk in small bowl until blended; gradually whisk into heated milk. Cook 2 to 3 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• Add 1-1/2 cups cheese mixture; stir until melted. Stir in pasta, macaroni and bacon.
• Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese mixture and bread crumbs.
• Bake 12 to 15 min. or until macaroni mixture is heated through and bread crumbs are lightly browned.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BACON AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Generously butter a 1/12 quart baking dish.
• Add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs; shake to coat dish evenly.
• Heat large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes.
• Drain.
• Place in large bowl.
• Melt butter in large saucepan.
• Whisk inflour; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Add nutmeg; cook 1 minute.
• Whisk in milk all at once.
• Heat to boil; simmer, stirring, 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted.
• Add sauce to pasta, mix well.
• Spoon 1/2 mixture into prepared baking dish.
• Add tomatoes and bacon in an even layer.
• Top with remaining macaroni mixture.
• Combine 1/2 cup of the remaining bread crumbs with olive oil in small bowl.
• Sprinkle over macaroni.
• Bake until golden and bubbly, about 45 minutes.