Rockin Bacon Mac N Cheese Food

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.

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.)

SMOKY BACON MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups (1.5 liter) of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the macaroni and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Drain the macaroni in a colander (do not rinse), then return to the pot over low heat. Add the butter, milk, and cheese sauce mix and stir well until creamy. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Chop 4 slices of Oscar Mayer® Bacon and stir into the mac and cheese, along with the chipotle sauce and Kraft® Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Mix until well combined and the cheese is melted.
• Transfer the mac and cheese to a serving bowl, then sprinkle the smoked paprika and crumble the remaining 2 strips of bacon on top. Serve warm.
• Enjoy!

BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute jalapeno in reserved drippings. Add milk and cheeses to pan; cook and stir until blended. Stir in the onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper and pepper sauce. , Drain macaroni; add to pan with the onions and cooked bacon. Mix well. , Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

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.

ROCKIN' BACON MAC N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Boil pasta in hot water 6-7 minutes until al dente. Drain.
• Cook bacon in the microwave or oven until just crisp. Crumble.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet, add flour and whisk until smooth.
• Combine milk and cream and heat in microwave or stove until warm, but not boiling. Add to butter/flour mixture to make a roux.
• While the roux is thickening, pulse cheese crackers in the food processor or crush w/ rolling pin.
• Add cheeses (reserve 1/2 cup) to the roux, turn temp to low and allow to melt slowly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add 1/2 bacon crumbles to the roux; pour over pasta and mix.
• Pour pasta/roux mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan.
• Top with remaining bacon, then cheese crackers, sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheddar.
• Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.

GRILLED CHICKEN AND BACON MAC 'N' CHEESE FROM RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the bacon on a slotted broiler pan or on a rack placed over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Chop and reserve. Switch on the broiler and position the rack in the center of the oven.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions indicate, or until just shy of al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
• While the pasta is working, heat a grill pan or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat. Drizzle the chicken with EVOO to coat lightly, then season evenly with the paprika, salt and pepper. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a cutting board and halve the pieces lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
• While the chicken cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until light golden and very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the cider (or stock), then the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses until melted.
• Add the chicken, bacon and sauce to the pasta and transfer to a casserole. Broil until bubbling and browned, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley (or celery greens).