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Last night my sister and I made homemade mac & cheese for our group family dinner. But instead of the standard mac & cheese we made Four Cheese Macaroni with Bacon. This is a great twist on the classic comfort food and will have everyone fighting over the serving spoon.
So as requested here is the recipe…
~ Four Cheese Macaroni with Bacon ~
1 box (1 lb) Cavatappi
10 slices Bacon, cooked, drained, diced
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 cup Milk
½ tsp Onion Flakes
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
½ lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 slices Kraft Deli Deluxe American cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 3-quart broiler-safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
Cook cavatappi 8 minutes in boiling water, then drain. Meanwhile, in medium-size saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crips, 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towel covered plate. Carefully pour off drippings, returning 2 tablespoons to pan. Add butter.
Whisk in flour until smooth. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in onion flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. In large bowl, toss together cheddar, Colby-Jack and mozzarella.
Remove milk mixture from heat; whisk in American cheese and 1-1/4 cups of the cheddar mixture. Toss bacon pieces with remaining shredded cheese.
In pasta pot, combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half into prepared dish. Sprinkle with a generous cup of the bacon-cheese mixture. Repeat layering.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil and broil 3 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.
