Ooey, gooey, creamy, baked mac n' cheese! Complete with bacon, herbs and crushed mustard pretzels for a touch of crunchy texture.
Directions for: Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked macaroni (6 cups cooked)
1 cup broccoli florets
10 strips uncooked bacon, chopped
4 cups milk
3 bay leaves
cup melted butter
cup flour
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup crushed mustard pretzels
Salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add macaroni noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender but still firm, about 6 minutes.
3. Drain pasta and set aside.
4. To cook the broccoli, bring a second pot of water to boil; add broccoli and cook until tender but still firm, about 4 minutes.
5. Drain broccoli and rinse under cold water immediately.
6. To cook the bacon, heat a large pan over medium heat; add strips of bacon and cook, stirring often, until bacon reaches desired crispness.
7. To make the sauce for the macaroni and cheese, add milk and bay leaves to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat for 20 minutes, to flavour the milk.
8. While milk steeps, mix together melted butter and flour in a small bowl.
9. Once milk has steeped, slowly whisk flour mixture into the milk.
10. Simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken.
11. Stir in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; mix well.
12. Once the cheese has melted completely, remove sauce from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan.
13. Stir in reserved cooked macaroni, bacon, and broccoli.
14. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes.
15. Pour the macaroni mixture into a greased casserole dish.
16. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup of Cheddar over top, followed by the crushed pretzels.
17. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling.
18. Remove from oven and serve.
Tips and Substitutions
Leftover macaroni and cheese will keep for up to 3 days.
Source and Credits
Courtesy of Melissa Hryb of Marion Street Eatery
See more: Bake, Cheese, Comfort Food, Herbs, Italian, Lunch, Main, Pasta, Pork