Best Bacon And Pea Mac N Cheese Recipes

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.

MAC AND CHEESE WITH PEAS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil on the stove top. Cook macaroni until al dente, following package directions.
• While the pasta cooks, melt butter in large microwavable mixing bowl. When pasta is done, drain and pour into the bowl, mixing to coat with butter.
• Stir in heavy cream and cheeses. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. (I used about 6 turns of the pepper mill, 6 shakes of Italian seasoning, and just a pinch of salt.) Stir thoroughly. Add frozen peas and stir again.
• In frying pan over low to medium heat, cook two pieces of bacon. As the bacon gets close to being crisped, add the garlic cloves and cook until they are clear. Drain bacon and garlic on paper towels.
• Pour the macaroni mixture into an 8x8 baking pan. Break the bacon into bits. Sprinkle the bacon and garlic over the top of the macaroni mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is crispy.

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.

GROWN UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.
• Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.
• Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

MAC AND CHEESE WITH ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring, until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add the scallions to the Dutch oven (reserve 1 tablespoon of the dark scallion greens for topping). Cook over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add the flour and whisk until toasted, 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente, adding the asparagus to the pot in the last minute of cooking. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
• Whisk the cream cheese into the sauce until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add the Parmesan and Jack cheese, a little at a time, until fully melted. Remove from the heat if the pasta is not done yet.
• Stir the pasta, asparagus and peas into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with the reserved cooking water, if needed (the sauce will thicken as it sits). Divide among bowls. Top with the bacon and reserved scallion greens.