Best Bacon Kale And Tomato Mac And Cheese Recipes

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 3/4 cups of the cooking water and then drain. Set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the kale and garlic and cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt. Add 1/2 cup of water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale wilts and is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Carefully wipe out the saucepan. Bring the half-and-half, cayenne and nutmeg to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Gradually whisk in the Cheddar and Havarti cheeses, a handful at a time, until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the cooked pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce and stir to combine. Stir in the kale and season with additional salt and pepper. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are lightly browned in spots and softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the kale, garlic and 1/2 cup of water, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Cook until the kale is wilted but still crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
• Carefully wipe out the saucepan (or give it a quick rinse if it is really dirty). Add the half-and-half and cayenne and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (The mixture will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Gently fold in the reserved vegetables. Season to taste with additional salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BACON AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Generously butter a 1/12 quart baking dish.
• Add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs; shake to coat dish evenly.
• Heat large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes.
• Drain.
• Place in large bowl.
• Melt butter in large saucepan.
• Whisk inflour; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Add nutmeg; cook 1 minute.
• Whisk in milk all at once.
• Heat to boil; simmer, stirring, 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted.
• Add sauce to pasta, mix well.
• Spoon 1/2 mixture into prepared baking dish.
• Add tomatoes and bacon in an even layer.
• Top with remaining macaroni mixture.
• Combine 1/2 cup of the remaining bread crumbs with olive oil in small bowl.
• Sprinkle over macaroni.
• Bake until golden and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

BACON, LEEK, AND TOMATO MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in an 8-quart stockpot.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add macaroni, Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to the boiling water. Cover and let simmer vigorously for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the macaroni mixture cooks, trim dark green parts off leek and discard. Slice leek in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place in a bowl of cold water and swish to remove dirt. Drain leek and stir into the macaroni mixture.
• Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove cores and scrape out seeds. Dice tomatoes; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Remove stockpot from heat; stir in remaining tomatoes and 1/2 of the bacon. Spoon macaroni into a serving bowl and garnish with remaining bacon and reserved tomatoes. Serve immediately.

BACON, KALE AND TOMATO MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Arrange bacon between sheets of microwavable paper towels on microwavable dinner plate. Microwave on High 3 to 4 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Cool; crumble.
• In 3-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over low heat. Stir in flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Stir in cheese, 1/2 cup at a time, until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in uncooked macaroni. Gently stir in kale, tomatoes and bacon; pour into casserole.
• Bake uncovered 15 minutes; stir. (If any macaroni is sticking up above surface, press down with back of spoon.) Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 tablespoon butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs.
• Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture. Bake 12 to 17 minutes longer or until macaroni is tender when pierced with fork and topping is light golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.