BACON WHITE CHEDDAR PESTO MAC AND CHEESE

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Bacon White Cheddar Pesto Mac and Cheese image

A rich and bacon-y variation of the tradition macaroni and cheese pasta dish.

Provided by fabeverydayblog

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Pork

Time 45m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
½ cup basil pesto sauce, purchased or homemade
6 slices bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces grated white Cheddar cheese
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 1/2- or 3-quart baking dish.
  • 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, 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer pasta back to pot; cover and keep warm off heat.
  • Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Crumble.
  • Place butter and minced garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat; stir until butter is melted. Whisk flour into butter mixture, and continue whisking until flour starts to turn golden brown, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to the saucepan, whisking until there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium.
  • Stir grated Cheddar cheese into the cream mixture, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add basil pesto sauce and half of the crumbled bacon; stir. Transfer mixture to pot with cooked elbows; stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish.
  • Mix panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl. Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and cheese.
  • Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and just starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining half of bacon.
  • Preheat the oven's broiler. Place baking dish under broiler until browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 563.3 calories, Carbohydrate 50.7 g, Cholesterol 75.7 mg, Fat 30 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 23.1 g, SaturatedFat 15.3 g, Sodium 547.8 mg, Sugar 4.4 g

Nayeem hasan Joy
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I love that this recipe uses white cheddar cheese. It gives the mac and cheese a really sharp and flavorful taste.


manita_mani gamming
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This is a great recipe for a special occasion. It's sure to impress your guests.


Jayde Warrick
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I'm not a big fan of mac and cheese, but this recipe changed my mind. It's so delicious and flavorful, I could eat it every day.


Amanda Plass
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This is the best mac and cheese recipe I've ever tried. It's so creamy and flavorful, and the bacon and pesto add the perfect touch of richness.


HTP TV
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I love how customizable this recipe is. I've added different types of cheese, vegetables, and proteins, and it's always turned out great.


Simina Parpala
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This is my go-to mac and cheese recipe. It's always a crowd-pleaser, and it's so easy to make.


Efia Sisterefia
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I've made this recipe several times now, and it's always a hit. It's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter night.


Arslan Malik
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This recipe is a bit time-consuming, but it's worth it. The mac and cheese is so creamy and flavorful, and the bacon and pesto add a really nice touch.


Ethern
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I followed the recipe exactly, but my mac and cheese turned out dry and crumbly. I'm not sure what went wrong.


Baguma Willy
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This was a good mac and cheese recipe, but it wasn't anything special. I've had better.


Santosh Bohara
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The pesto overpowered the other flavors in this dish. I would have preferred it with less pesto.


Sheran Poellnitz
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I found this recipe to be a bit bland. I think it could have used more seasoning.


md parves
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This mac and cheese was a bit too rich for my taste. I think I would have preferred it with less bacon and cheese.


LeBron Burton
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I was looking for a new mac and cheese recipe to try, and I'm so glad I found this one. It was super easy to make and it turned out so creamy and delicious. The bacon and pesto added a really nice touch. I will definitely be making this again!


Afrin shovo
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I love the idea of adding pesto to mac and cheese. It gives it a really fresh and flavorful twist. I also appreciate that this recipe is relatively easy to make.


Larissa Roberts
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This was a great recipe! I followed it exactly and it turned out perfectly. The mac and cheese was creamy and flavorful, and the bacon and pesto added a nice touch. I will definitely be making this again.


Jackie Nerem
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I was a bit skeptical about the combination of bacon, white cheddar, and pesto, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they all worked together. This is a really unique and delicious mac and cheese recipe.


Benjamib Fadhili
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This is the best mac and cheese I've ever had. The bacon adds a nice smoky flavor, and the white cheddar and pesto are so creamy and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again and again!


Emran Talukder
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I love how versatile this recipe is. I didn't have pesto on hand, so I used a sun-dried tomato pesto instead. It was still delicious!


Fozia fozia
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This was a huge hit at our dinner party! Everyone loved the unique flavor combination of bacon, white cheddar, pesto, and mac and cheese. Will definitely be making this again!