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Creamy Mac and Cheese With Bacon

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The creamiest cheese sauce plus salty bits of bacon make this dish irresistible!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 ounces celletani pasta
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt to the water, and cook pasta according to directions on the box.
  2. Measure the milk into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour, and whisk continuously for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the warm milk, and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium, and bring to a gentle simmer stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. When it has slightly thickened add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard.
  5. Add the cheese and stir until smooth.
  6. When the pasta is cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  7. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta, and add pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce if it is too thick. Sauce will thicken a bit as it cools.
  8. Top with bacon, additional black pepper, and parsley.

Notes

Helpful Tips: Any kind of cheese that melts smoothly is okay to use in this recipe. Great time to clean out the cheese drawer! Don’t use pre shredded cheese. Your mac and cheese won’t be as smooth. Serve immediately. The sauce will thicken up as it sits, so it tastes best right away. Reserve some pasta water to add the the mac and cheese if your sauce does become to thick. Recipe adapted from Chew Out Loud.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://lovelylittlekitchen.com/creamy-mac-cheese-bacon/