RED HOT CHIPOTLE BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Red Hot Chipotle Bacon Mac and Cheese image

A next-level macaroni and cheese with a red sauce, smoky chipotle spice, and bacon.

Provided by fabeverydayblog

Categories Trusted Brands: Recipes and Tips Barilla

Time 50m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) box Barilla® Elbows
1 ½ cups Barilla® Roasted Garlic Sauce
6 slices bacon
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, or more to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 1/2- or 3-quart baking dish.
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, 8 minutes. Drain. Return pasta to pot; cover. Keep warm off heat.
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Crumble.
Puree milk, heavy cream, cumin, salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the pepper is completely incorporated into the mixture, 8 to 10 pulses.
Place butter and minced garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat; stir until butter is melted. Whisk flour into butter mixture, and continue whisking until flour starts to turn golden brown, about 1 minute. Slowly add pureed milk and chipotle mixture to the saucepan, whisking until there are no more lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium.
Stir Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses into the cream mixture, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add roasted garlic sauce and mix thoroughly. Transfer mixture to pot with cooked pasta; stir. Pour into prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Stir in crumbled bacon and chopped bell pepper. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 more minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 597.1 calories, Carbohydrate 54.1 g, Cholesterol 93.8 mg, Fat 31.3 g, Fiber 3.5 g, Protein 26.5 g, SaturatedFat 18.1 g, Sodium 676.9 mg, Sugar 3.8 g