Best White Cheddar Macaroni With Bacon And Thyme Recipes

BACON PASTA WITH CHEESE SAUCE AND THYME

Steps:

• Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped thyme. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, about 2 minutes less than according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta water.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan.Whisk in flour; cook until melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and 1/2 cup pasta water until smooth. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and whisk in cheeses.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat; add 1/2 cup pasta water and cook, scraping up browned bits, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cooked spaghetti and cheese sauce. Stir, adding remaining pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce is creamy and evenly coats pasta. Taste and season as needed. Serve, sprinkled with pepper and thyme leaves.

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.

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the elbow macaroni until al dente, 8 or 9 minutes, then drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Heat milk with 3 sprigs of thyme and 4 cloves of crushed garlic in a small pan, do not boil the milk.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
• Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves from the milk then whisk the milk into the butter and flour mixture.
• Continue to cook until the mixture is smooth, whisking constantly. Once smooth, stir in 4-1/2 cups of the white cheddar cheese. Continue to cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add in the cooked macaroni and the chopped parsley. Stir to coat the macaroni and incorporate all ingredients then pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook bacon until crispy. Then add the onion, the remaining two cloves of garlic (chopped) and the remaining thyme (leaves only this time). Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the macaroni and cheese comes out of the oven, spread the bacon and onion mixture over the top, serve and enjoy.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND WHITE CHEDDAR MAC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cook the macaroni in boiling water until al dente according to the package instructions, then drain and set aside.
• Fry the bacon in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning several times, until almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour away all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Return the skillet to the heat and add the garlic, onions and thyme. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook over medium-low heat until the onions are golden and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes.
• While the onions cook, make the cheese sauce for the macaroni. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Cook the flour, stirring, for a minute or so. Continue to whisk as you add the milk, then the heavy cream. Cook until thick and bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Cheddar and processed cheese, stirring until completely melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the cooked macaroni until completely coated.
• Add half of the onion mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with half of the macaroni mixture. Repeat with another layer of onions and the remaining macaroni mixture. Dot the top with the goat cheese.
• Chop the bacon and toss with the panko breadcrumbs, oregano, rosemary, melted butter and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle over the top of the dish. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes.

BACON AND MACARONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon; drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, sugar, garlic powder and pepper to drippings; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir in macaroni; heat through, stirring occasionally. Combine cheese and remaining parsley; sprinkle over casserole. , Microwave Directions: In a 2-qt. microwave-safe baking dish, heat bacon on high for 2-1/2 minutes; discard fat. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes more or until bacon is crisp. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings; stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, sugar, garlic powder and pepper. , Cover and cook on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in macaroni; cover and cook on high for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Combine cheese and remaining parsley; sprinkle over casserole.