Mac Your Way Blt Mac Recipes

BLT MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Add the macaroni, tomato and onions; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, add lettuce and bacon; toss to coat.

BLT MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and crumble.
• At the same time, 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, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir mayonnaise and coleslaw dressing together in a large bowl until creamy. Add noodles, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions. Toss well.

BLT MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Toss the lettuce with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet until the lettuce is wilted, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, but leave the oven on.
• In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, render the bacon with the canola oil until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan. Add the flour and cook over medium heat until the flour begins to smell slightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add a small amount of the milk to the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining milk in stages to avoid lumps. Heat until the mixture simmers, then turn off the heat.
• Add the Cheddar and Gruyere to the pan, followed by the nutmeg and drained macaroni. Fold until the macaroni is evenly coated, then add the lettuce, tomatoes and bacon.
• Spread the mixture in a 2-quart baking dish and top with the Herbed Breadcrumbs. Cook until the top is golden, about 35 minutes.
• Combine the panko, butter, parsley and thyme in a medium bowl and mix together.

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.

BLT-RIFIC MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 4 minutes per side. Once cool enough to handle, crumble or chop and set aside.
• In a large pot, prepare pasta al dente (firm) according to the instructions on the package. Drain well, return to the pot, and cover to keep warm.
• While water comes to a boil and while pasta cooks, cut squash into pieces similar to the size of penne, about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.
• Spray a large skillet (with a lid) with nonstick spray, and bring to medium heat on the stove. Add squash, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, occasionally uncovering to stir.
• Add spinach and tomato to the skillet, re-cover, and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted, tomatoes are soft, and excess liquid has cooked off, about 3 minutes. If needed, drain any excess liquid. Set aside.
• Place cheese wedges in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to break them up. Add sour cream and cheese slices, breaking cheese slices into pieces as you add them. Microwave for 30 seconds, and then stir thoroughly. Microwave for another 30 seconds, or until cheeses have fully melted. Mix until smooth.
• Add cheese mixture and cooked veggies to the pasta. Toss to coat. Top with bacon. If needed, bring to desired temperature on the stove. If you like, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve it up!

BLT WITH WELSH RAREBIT MACARONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange 2 cooling racks on baking sheets and arrange the bacon on 1 of them. Bacon may also be baked on a slotted broiler pan. Bake the bacon until crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and add the pasta. Undercook the pasta by 1 to 2 minutes, until just shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.
• While the water comes to a boil, arrange the sliced tomatoes on the second baking rack. Sprinkle with chives, salt and pepper, to taste, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Roast them for about 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil when you remove tomatoes.
• Process the bread in a food processor they become coarse bread crumbs. Transfer the bread crumbs to a small bowl.
• Melt butter in sauce pot over medium heat. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 of the butter over the crumbs to moisten, then stir in the parsley. To the remaining butter in the sauce pot, add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, then add the hot sauce and mustard. Stir to combine, then sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and ale. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the stock and bring to a bubble. When the sauce thickens, stir in 2 cups of the cheese in a figure 8 motion and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add the pasta with to the sauce and toss to coat. Spoon it into crocks or a casserole dish. Top with the bread crumbs and remaining cheese, then put it on the middle rack of the oven. Broil until bubbly and deeply brown on top, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Arrange a bed of cress leaves alongside portions of macaroni and cheese or individual crocks. Top the watercress with a thick slice of roasted tomato and crisscrossed bacon strips. Cover with a second slab of tomato and serve.

BLT MACARONI SALAD

Steps:

• Boil pasta per package directions, then drain & rinse in cold water.
• While pasta is cooking, trim most of the fat from the bacon, chop into 1-inch pieces & then panfry til almost crisp; drain on paper towels & set aside.
• In large bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, salt, pepper, celery, onion & bacon.
• Gently stir in tomato, & pasta.
• Cover tightly & refrigerate til serving.
• *Note: Original recipe reserves bacon to add right before serving. I've done both but usually mix it immediately to save time.

BLT MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In large microwavable bowl, place cheese cubes, butter and milk. Microwave uncovered on High 8 to 10 minutes. Stir with whisk; microwave on High 4 minutes longer. Stir again; repeat microwaving until all cheese is melted and mixture can be stirred smooth, a total of about 15 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water 3 minutes less than directed on box (macaroni should be firm). Drain; place in 15x10-inch (4-quart) glass baking dish. Pour melted cheese sauce over macaroni; mix well. Stir in shredded cheese, tomatoes and spinach.
• Cover dish with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle bacon and bread crumbs evenly over top. Bake 5 minutes longer or until top is lightly browned. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.