Dressed Up Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan; discard the rest of the fat.
• Add the flour, then whisk until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the water and whisk until smooth and just thickened.
• Add the milk and whisk until combined.
• Stir in the pasta, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and pepper, then bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done.
• Turn the heat to low, then stir in the cheddar cheese. Keep stirring until the sauce is smooth. If you need to thin the sauce, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Stir in half of the bacon.
• Sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top, along with the parsley. Serve immediately.

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil over high in a large stock-pot. Stir in pasta and 1 tablespoon of the salt, and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender but still firm, about 6 minutes. Reserve and set aside 2 cups cooking water, and then drain the pasta. Return pasta to pot, and remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.
• Generously butter a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, and set aside. Toss together breadcrumbs; Parmesan cheese; and half of the cooked, crumbled bacon in a bowl, and set aside. Stir together flour, pepper, mustard, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Heat milk and buttermilk in a medium saucepan over medium, undisturbed, until barely steaming but not boiling, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add flour mixture. Cook, whisking often, until mixture is smooth and thick and has a delicate golden color and toasted aroma, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in warm milk mixture. Bring to a boil over high. Cook, stirring often, until thickened to the texture of cream, about 3 minutes.
• Stir shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses into milk mixture, and remove from heat. Stir in beaten eggs until mixture forms a smooth sauce.
• Uncover cooked pasta, and stir. (If pasta sticks together, stir in reserved warm cooking water, and drain again.) Stir cheese mixture and remaining bacon into drained pasta in stockpot.
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven until firm, puffed up, and lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

CHEDDAR-BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees 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 quart casserole; top with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

DRESSED UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, whisk until a paste is formed and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add 1/4 cup of the milk at a time, whisking constantly, until you've added 2 cups. Whisk in the soup base or bouillon, garlic powder and pepper.
• Slowly add the Colby-Jack blend, cream cheese and 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, making sure the cheese melts between each addition. When the cheese is completely melted, check for consistency; add up to an additional 1/2 cup milk if needed. Stir to completely combine.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained macaroni and 2 cups of the cheese sauce. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the chilled springform pan of Andouille Dressing, spreading and packing the contents evenly. Spread 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce over the top with the remaining 1 cup shredded Cheddar.
• Bake until heated through, about 35 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the top is crisped, another 5 to 7 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray.
• To make the cornbread, add the milk, butter and 1 of the eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt and stir to combine; the batter should look lumpy. Transfer the batter to the greased skillet and bake until golden brown on top, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool. Keep the oven at 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, lightly grease two 9-inch springform pans with cooking spray.
• Put a pan over medium-high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the sausage and cook until crisp around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. To the same pan, add the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic and cook until the veggies are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Crumble the cooled cornbread into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked veggies and sausage and mix together gently. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Add it to the cornbread mixture with the sage, soup base or bouillon, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt; mix together gently. Add the broth 1/4 cup at a time until the dressing reaches the desired consistency. It should be loose but not runny--3/4 to 1 cup will be plenty.
• Transfer the dressing to the prepared springform pans. Bake until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

DRESSED-UP BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• 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 2 cups milk 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 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.

DRESSED-UP MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook Macaroni in large saucepan as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, heat heavy medium skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add peppers; cook and stir 3 min. Stir in water; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 8 to 10 min. or until peppers are tender. Add 1/4 cup sour cream; cook and stir 1 min. or until heated through.
• Drain macaroni. Use to prepare Dinners as directed on package. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese and remaining sour cream. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Serve with pepper mixture.