This recipe is one of my favorites because it takes an old classic Mac and Cheese, and adds a twist to it by adding bacon! Let’s face it; you can never go wrong when you add bacon to anything, and it definitely belongs here in this Bacon Mac and Cheese. Besides that great bacon flavor that we all just can’t resist; you also get a nice crunch while leaving the dish to still remain creamy and cheesy.
This is another great recipe that is perfect for a 4th of July cookout, and will certainly be a crowd pleaser because it combines two of everyone’s favorites into one dish. Happy cooking!
Ingredients
1/2 pound of elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups of milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 of an onion, finely diced
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 egg
8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
4 ounces mild cheddar, shredded
7 slices of bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the macaroni noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water until the noodles are al dente.
Fry the bacon slices in a pan, and once cooked chop into bite size pieces.
In a separate pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk for 5 minutes making sure that the butter and flour mixture does not become lumpy and does not burn. Stir in the milk, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Lower the heat, and temper in the egg (be careful not to add the egg too quickly, you do not want it to scramble in the mixture). Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the chopped bacon. Add the macaroni noodles to the mixture and combine. Pour into a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you have any leftover bacon you can sprinkle it on top. Enjoy (:
