Black Pepper Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

BACON-PEPPER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the butter in small bowl. Stir bell pepper and onions into butter in saucepan. Increase heat to medium; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in bacon and pasta.
• Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted. Pour into casserole. Stir bread crumbs into melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.
• Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are bubbly.

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.

BACON AND PEA MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish or eight 12-ounce ramekins.
• For the bechamel: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until just crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the 3 1/2 cups milk, the parsley, peppercorns, crushed red pepper, bay leaf and nutmeg in another medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
• When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 6 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the saucepan. If you have less than 6 tablespoons, make up the difference with the butter and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture is doughy and smells a bit nutty, about 1 minute.
• Strain in the warm milk about a half cup at a time into the flour mixture and cook, whisking to incorporate after each addition. The bechamel should be smooth and velvety. If it's chunky or too thick, whisk in some more milk.
• For the mac 'n' cheese: Remove the bechamel from the heat and add all of the cheeses; whisk to combine. Fold in half of the bacon. Next, fold in the macaroni, then the peas. Transfer to the prepared baking dish or ramekins. If using ramekins, place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining bacon pieces, the melted butter and a pinch each of salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the mac 'n' cheese and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the crust is browned on top, 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the baking vessel).
• Let rest for 10 minutes then serve.

BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute jalapeno in reserved drippings. Add milk and cheeses to pan; cook and stir until blended. Stir in the onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper and pepper sauce. , Drain macaroni; add to pan with the onions and cooked bacon. Mix well. , Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

BLACK PEPPER BACON-MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Cook Macaroni as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add flour; cook and stir 2 min. or until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer on medium-low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add Cheese Sauce; cook and stir 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Drain macaroni; set aside. Chop bacon. Reserve 1 Tbsp. bacon for later use. Add remaining bacon to cheese sauce in saucepan along with the macaroni; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Bake 10 min. or until hot and bubbly. Top with reserved bacon.

SMOKY BACON MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• While making cheese mixture, cook macaroni per package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Bring a skillet to medium heat. Add bacon and fry both sides until crisp. Drain on a paper towel and crumble. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and garlic in butter until lightly caramelized (light brown but not crisp). Add flour to saucepan and stir to combine, leaving no dry flour bits. Add milk all at once to saucepan along with black pepper. Stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in cheddar cheese first (one cup at a time) until melted. Then stir in mozzarella until mixture is smooth.
• Place cooked macaroni in a 2-quart casserole dish. Stir in cheese mixture and half of the bacon until evenly distributed. Then sprinkle the top with the remaining bacon.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
• Cool, serve and enjoy!

COUNTRY BACON-BEEF MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until crisp, 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Brown ground beef in drippings; remove from pan. Add onion to skillet; cook and stir until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more., Combine red pepper, carrot, seasonings and pasta in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Layer with ground beef, bacon and onion mixture (do not stir). Pour in broth., Cook, covered, on low for about 1 hour, until meat and vegetables are tender. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in sour cream and cheeses.

BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• To Make The Sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or an oven-safe skillet.
• Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, avoid browning, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the nutmeg, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Over low heat, gradually add the Cheddar, Gruyere (or Fontina) and 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until all of the cheese has melted. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk and 1/4 cup cream. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce mixture and stir to coat evenly (it will be soupy, but will come together). Set aside.
• To Make The Rest: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until nearing al dente, but not fully cooked; drain.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In another large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy and golden brown. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet, reserving 1 tablespoons rendered bacon fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, chopped parsley and 1 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat, stirring to coat the bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the macaroni then sprinkle over the crumbs the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Transfer macaroni to a large (12x14) buttered baking dish (I added the bacon on top at this point). Bake until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with crumbled cooked bacon. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

BUTTERNUT MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lightly oil butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Set butternut squash, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until butternut squash can easily be pierced with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and crumble when cool enough to handle.
• At the same time, 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, about 8 minutes.
• Remove 2 cups hot pasta water to a liquid measure; add bouillon cube and stir to dissolve. Drain pasta.
• Pour 1 cup broth from the liquid measure into a large pot. Scoop roasted butternut squash flesh into the pot and blend with an immersion blender, adding more broth as needed to achieve a light creamy texture.
• Place the pot over medium heat and mix in Cheddar cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce is thick. Add drained pasta and mix to combine. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
• Serve topped with crumbled bacon.