Bacon Cheese Mac and Cheese

A recent wine and cheese night with some friends left me with a ton of cheese leftovers.  I knew I could not throw it away and that I couldn't eat it all either.  I decided to make macaroni and cheese for the upcoming Super Bowl party, therefore, I made a huge batch of it.  This recipe makes a half tray but the recipe can be cut in half or quarters.  Another option is to make the full batch and then divide it into containers for the freezer and future meals.  This recipe is made with Bacon Cheese.  The cheese has actual pieces of bacon inside of it.  It is from Trader Joe's and has some great smoky flavor.  You can use any combination of cheese you have left over but this Bacon Cheese is pretty awesome.  I used half Swiss cheese in the recipe as it is a mellow flavor and it melts well.  If you have cheddar or another kind of cheese, feel free to use that too.  If you do not have the Bacon Cheese add 1/2 cup of cooked and crumbled bacon to the cheese sauce.  The recipe is easiest to make if you shred the cheese, but I used cubes and cut up pieces and it worked fine.  It just takes a bit longer to melt the cheeses.  I also had some leftover dairy items to use up.  I made this using half heavy cream and half 2% milk.  You can use any combination of milk products you have on hand.  Serve this as a side dish with your favorite barbecue foods or like me, as a side dish for the big game.  This feeds a crowd.

Ingredients:

1 lb box pasta, I used Cellantani as it holds onto the cheese well

4 TBS butter

1 large onion, small diced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 TBS flour

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 1/2 cups milk 

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp white pepper

12 oz. Bacon Cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces

12 oz Swiss Cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Cook the pasta according to the box instructions, leaving it al dente.  Do not overlook this. It will continue to cook in the oven, so slightly undercooked is best.  Set it aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter.

Add the onion.

Cook the onion for five minutes until soft but not brown.  Add the garlic and cook it one more minute.

Add the flour and stir in completely.  Cook for 1 minute to get the raw flour flavor out.

Add the milk and cream, stirring continuously to prevent clumping.

Add the mustard and pepper.

Heat the milk until it starts bubbling around the edges.  Stir during this time to prevent scorching.  The mixture will be thickening. this is about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Reduce the heat to low and add the cheeses in two batches, making sure it is all melted before adding in the second batch. 

Remove the pot from the heat. 

Add the pasta into the pot full of cheese and combine it completely.  

Pour the pasta into a casserole dish, aluminum tray or several small casseroles.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.  If you have extra cheese, feel free to sprinkle some on top before baking.

If me you want to bake it later, put it in the fridge covered for up to three days or cover with foil and freeze for up to six months.  Defrost before baking.