Bacon Mac and Cheese

Need I say more?! Did I have you at the mere mention of bacon???

This recipe developed in my mind while I was gazing into my meat/cheese drawer and I realized that I not only had several packages of gourmet cheddar in there, but also a half a package of bacon!  Put the two together, add a bechamel sauce and some pasta, and you have a sinfully delicious side or main dish, depending on how very sinful you wish to be ;-)

But wait, there's more...

Not only did I use whole wheat pasta in this recipe (yay fiber!), but the bacon I used is low-sodium, I used 1% milk instead of whole milk, and there is no butter to be found in here either!  However, I must admit that in place of the melted butter in the bechamel, I used the leftover bacon fat... sue me if you must.  The flavor it lends to food is quite fantastic, so I simply had to do it!

I guarantee this mac and cheese will be the most delicious comfort food creation I have shared with you to date.  So put aside that diet for a day and indulge in some cheesy, bacony goodness :-)

Sinful Bacon Mac and Cheese
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1/2 package of lower sodium bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 box of whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 cups 1% milk, warmed on low power in a microwave oven, or on the stovetop
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups gourmet shredded cheddar cheese blend
1 cup shredded extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Coat the inside of a deep covered baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for half the suggested cooking time.  Drain pasta and set aside.

In a medium size saucepan, saute the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy.  Remove bacon to a paper towel with a slotted spoon.  Heat the remaining bacon fat over medium heat and stir in the flour, cooking it for about 1 minute.  Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture has thickened to coat the back of a wooden spoon - this is your bechamel.  Stir in the nutmeg, pepper and two-thirds of the parsley.

Pour the reserved pasta into the pan with the bechamel and stir to combine.

Place a third of the pasta mixture in a single layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the gourmet cheddar.  Top the cheese with another third of the pasta.  Sprinkle all of the sharp cheddar on top of this layer of pasta.  Use the rest of the pasta to cover the second layer of cheese and top it with the remaining gourmet cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle the cooked bacon pieces and the remaining parsley evenly over the top of the casserole.

Cover it with a lid or tin foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.

Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

This  made for an incredibly flavorful side dish!  It would be a definite crowd-pleaser at any gathering!  Since the mac and cheese is quite rich by itself in all its bacony glory, I decided I would serve it alongside oven-fried buttermilk chicken strips and green beans, which were nice and light, yet still flavorful.  As you can see, my husband and I made a good dent in this... it was soooo good :-)  The crispy bacon on top really made this dish amazing, as it provided a nice crunch to balance out the creaminess of the pasta.  I'd rather have a small portion of this bacon mac and cheese rather than a larger portion of the typical mac and cheese any day!  

I hope you give my recipe a try.  It is a winner!

Librarian turned Foodie