Black Pepper Bacon Mac And Cheese Food

BACON-PEPPER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the butter in small bowl. Stir bell pepper and onions into butter in saucepan. Increase heat to medium; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in bacon and pasta.
• Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted. Pour into casserole. Stir bread crumbs into melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.
• Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are bubbly.

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.

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 AND PEA MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish or eight 12-ounce ramekins.
• For the bechamel: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until just crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the 3 1/2 cups milk, the parsley, peppercorns, crushed red pepper, bay leaf and nutmeg in another medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
• When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 6 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the saucepan. If you have less than 6 tablespoons, make up the difference with the butter and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture is doughy and smells a bit nutty, about 1 minute.
• Strain in the warm milk about a half cup at a time into the flour mixture and cook, whisking to incorporate after each addition. The bechamel should be smooth and velvety. If it's chunky or too thick, whisk in some more milk.
• For the mac 'n' cheese: Remove the bechamel from the heat and add all of the cheeses; whisk to combine. Fold in half of the bacon. Next, fold in the macaroni, then the peas. Transfer to the prepared baking dish or ramekins. If using ramekins, place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining bacon pieces, the melted butter and a pinch each of salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the mac 'n' cheese and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the crust is browned on top, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the baking vessel).
• Let rest for 10 minutes then serve.

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.

BACON MAC AND CHEESE EGGROLLS WITH QUICK RANCH

Steps:

• For the eggrolls: Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the bacon and all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the cream to the saucepan and heat for a minute or two. Add the Cheddar jack and processed cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the pasta, some pepper and the chopped bacon. Set aside.
• Put a small bowl of water next to a cutting board. One at a time, place an egg roll wrapper onto the cutting board with a corner of the wrapper pointing towards you. Dampen a finger with the water and moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. Scoop 3 tablespoons of the mac and cheese into the center of the wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you over the filling. Fold in the sides and roll the wrapper until it's tight and closed. Press to seal and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a skillet to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the egg rolls in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Let the oil return to temperature between batches.
• For the quick ranch: Combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, pesto, flaky sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Serve with the eggrolls as a dipping sauce.

CHRISTINA'S BAKIN' BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until just tender, about 8 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and half-and-half in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reserve 5 American cheese slices; tear the rest into pieces and add to the saucepan, along with the cream cheese, and gouda. Cook, stirring often , until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Stir in the eggs slowly. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in the macaroni and ham. Scrape the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and top with the remaining 5 American cheese slices.
• Cook the bacon. Remove from pan and reserve the drippings. Add the bread crumbs to the pan with the drippings and stir. Crumble the bacon into the bread crumb mixture. Pour the bread crumb mixture evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle the paprika over the macaroni and cheese. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is browned about 10 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

TYLER FLORENCE'S ULTIMATE MAC 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 springs 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.

BLACK PEPPER BACON-MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Cook Macaroni as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add flour; cook and stir 2 min. or until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer on medium-low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add Cheese Sauce; cook and stir 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Drain macaroni; set aside. Chop bacon. Reserve 1 Tbsp. bacon for later use. Add remaining bacon to cheese sauce in saucepan along with the macaroni; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Bake 10 min. or until hot and bubbly. Top with reserved bacon.