Black Pepper Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

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.

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.

AIR FRYER MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until almost firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, melt bacon grease in a small cast iron skillet that fits in your air fryer over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir flour into the hot bacon grease until golden brown, making a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in bacon and Italian herbs. Mix in Cheddar, Parmesan, Colby-Monterey Jack, and ricotta cheeses, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes.
• Preheat an air fryer to 390 degrees F (195 degrees C).
• Fold pasta into the cheese sauce and top with bread crumbs. Spritz with olive oil and pat down to minimize fly-away crumbs.
• Air-fry until the top is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling up at the edge of the skillet, about 15 minutes.

BLT MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, place bacon pieces in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from the skillet and set on paper towels to drain excess grease. Reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease, and carefully discard any extra or save for another use.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Return 1/4 cup bacon grease to the skillet, adjusting heat if the skillet is too hot. Whisk in flour until smooth. Allow flour mixture to bubble gently and cook, whisking regularly, about 1 minute. Whisk in canned tomatoes with liquid and milk. Whisk until smooth and mixture is bubbly and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. If mixture is too thick, thin with a little more milk.
• Stir in Cheddar cheese and stir until cheese has melted into the sauce. Thin with a little bit of milk if needed. Taste mixture and season with salt and pepper. Stir grape tomatoes and broccoli into the sauce. Add cooked and drained noodles and stir gently to coat. Fill mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bacon pieces.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is bubbly and broccoli is crisp-tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Toss arugula with some lemon juice and serve atop the mac and cheese.