BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE

Bacon Macaroni and Cheese > Regular Mac and Cheese = Fact.

A couple years ago I made this dish as an experiment, since making macaroni and cheese from scratch was uncharted territory for me. Therefore I searched online, found this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and went for it.

At the part where you add in the shredded cheese and it starts to melt I began giggling, and realized that yes, it was going to be sooooo good. (it was)

Since then I’ve modified it into bacon macaroni and cheese and as a result, when attending my husband’s work crew “Food Parties”, it’s assumed that’s what will be coming along with us.

Note: The recipe I’ve linked is super helpful if you’ve never made a roux or tempered an egg.

Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees. Grease up a larger Pyrex casserole dish. (by grease I mean use butter, and not that flavored cooking spray crap)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Cups of Dried Macaroni
• 1 Egg, Beaten in a small bowl & set aside
• 1/4 Cup of Reserved Bacon Fat from:
• 1 Package of GOOD bacon, diced & fried to a crisp
  Trader Joe’s Applewood Smoked is my fav
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
  Yes use whole milk!
• 2 TB Mustard
  I use regular condiment mustard for this dish, not dried
• 1 LB Cheese of your choosing
  A good mild cheddar goes perfect with the bacon
• 1/2 Tsp Salt – more if you like salty
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook your macaroni less than it calls for on the packaging – you’ll want it firm, like too firm to eat. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot – I use one of my dutch ovens for this part – heat your bacon grease over medium low heat. Sprinkle in your flour, and whisk for about 5 minutes. It will start to brown or ‘toast’ a bit, don’t let it burn.

Whisk in your mustard until smooth, then whisk as you pour in your milk. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes or so until nice and thick. Turn heat to low (or all the way off if you’re using cast iron, it will retain the heat perfectly for the next step).

Scoop out 1/4 cup or so of the sauce, and while whisking constantly, pour it into the bowl of beaten egg until smooth. Then slowly pour that mix back into the pot while whisking constantly until smooth. Yay! You’ve successfully tempered an egg!

Now the good part – stir in the cheese!! Giggle as you watch it melt into cheesy-lava-goodness.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in your cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir to combine.

At this point you can grab a spoon and eat it right out of the pot (go ahead, I won’t judge). Or you can pour it into your baking dish, cover with yet MORE cheese (and more bacon if you have it) and bake for about 20 minutes until golden and bubbly (and THEN grab a spoon and help yourself).

Leave a Comment Comfort Food, Mac N Cheese, Main Dishes