Best 6 Dressed Up Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

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.

GROWN UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.
• Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.
• Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

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 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 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.