Homeade Macaroni and Cheese….it doesn’t get any better than this! (This Mac N’ Cheese was baked in our handcrafted clay Chowfancy Baking Dish!)

We happen to think that bacon makes everything better! Bake this melt in your mouth….Mac N’ Cheese….serve it as a main course…or as a side to some yummy spare ribs…good to go! https://randsmeatmarket.com/2016/06/17/st-louis-style-spare-ribs/

You will need:
16 oz of Penne or tubular style pasta
6 oz swiss cheese; shredded
6 oz white cheddar cheese; shredded
6 oz of Lap-sang Black Tea (Harpersfield cheese); shredded
6 oz Bel Paese Cheese …or mozzarella….shredded
12 slices of Bacon; cut into one inch pieces…cooked
1 small red onion or several shallots; diced

2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter
4 cups of whole milk
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Find Printable Instructions here Smoky Bacon Mac N’ Cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil…for cooking the pasta.

In a large, deep sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the diced onion for about three minutes until softened. Add the butter until melted. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and onion until thickened. Just about two minutes. This will form what is called a roux…

Whisk continually as you add the four cups of milk, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Let the mixture thicken another minute or two.

( Now would be a good time to add your pasta to the boiling pot of water…cook until al dente…not too soft!)

Next  you can add the shredded cheeses into the milk mixture. Whisk until melted. Reduce the heat to low…until the pasta has finished cooking.

Drain the pasta…add it back to the large pot and pour the melted cheese sauce over the pasta. Add the cooked bacon. Stir well and pour into a nice size baking dish that has been prepared with olive oil or baking spray.

Top the pasta with bread crumbs. If you have a misto or olive oil spray…you can coat the crumbs with a little bit of olive oil to give them a nice crunch!

Bake covered in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes until crispy on top.

Serve Hot!

(Tip…this dish can be put together the day ahead…just don’t bake it until the day you will serve:)
This dish can easily be made Gluten Free…I love the Le Veneziane Gluten Free pasta that we carry at R&S…we also carry Domata Gluten Free flour and 4c Gluten Free Bread crumbs!