Bacon Jalapeño Macaroni and Cheese
Bacon Jalapeño Mac n Cheese has the perfect amount of heat, with smoky bacon and the perfect cheesy sauce.
Servings 6
Calories 907kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1/2 lb bacon I used Cherry wood smoked bacon
- 1-2 jalapenos diced
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 cups half n half
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
- 1-2 teaspoon Salt according to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Panko topping
- 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Cook pasta 2 minutes under al dente. (It will cook more in the oven) strain and set aside.
- In a small bowl with melted butter add Panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, and butter mix and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Chop raw bacon up into bite-size pieces. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and cook bacon until crispy and let drain on paper towels.
- In the same cast-iron skillet, drain all but 3 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add butter, diced jalapeno, and cook just until soft about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk together for about 30 seconds to cook the flour a bit. Reduce heat and add half n half and whisk until all clumps are out.
- Turn off heat and add shredded cheese and cooked bacon and whisk until combined. Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour mac n cheese into a baking dish, or leave in cast iron skillet fold in mozzarella cheese and top with Panko crumbs.
- Bake for 20 minutes
Nutrition
Serving: 6Servings | Calories: 907kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 2266mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g