Flaming Bacon Mac & Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese.  I always have.  I can eat it plain, or I can mix things up in it.  I'll eat the boxed stuff if I have to, but what I have been craving for a while was the homemade stuff that you bake in the oven.  I had that as a child, and usually liked it.  I say usually because sometimes I had that weird little kid thing going on where you want the boxed stuff because you don't get it as much.  It seems like it's special, even though it really isn't.  Thankfully growing up made me appreciate a good baked mac and cheese.  Unfortunately I wasn't quite sure how to make one, and was a bit worried it would taste like flour and grossness.  I didn't want to use a processed cheese "food", but I had always been told that real cheese doesn't work well.  Thankfully I found this recipe at Eat More Heat that would pique my curiosity enough to give it a whirl.

It's really not hard at all!  I'm not sure why  I was worried about it now that I've made it.

I didn't have some of the stuff the original recipe called for, but I substituted where I needed to and it worked.  This mac and cheese is VERY hot!  You can cut back on the peppers or the seasoning if you must, but this stuff tastes good.

 

This song is appropriate.

Flaming Bacon Mac & Cheese

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb of bacon 
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic - minced
• 3 green onions - chopped finely
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups monterey jack cheese
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 cayenne peppers - diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers - diced
• 1 Hungarian wax pepper - diced
• 1 lb box macaroni 
• Plain breadcrumbs - for topping
• Parmesan cheese - grated for topping

Directions:

1. Cook bacon and reserve fat.  Note: you can still oven cook the bacon if you so choose, just make sure to pour the fat into the pan you'll be using to make the sauce.
2. Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in a large pan with the bacon fat over medium heat until peppers are tender and garlic is lightly browned.
3. While onion, garlic, and peppers are sauteing, warm milk over medium heat. While milk is heating, add butter and flour to the garlic and onions.
4. Pour warm (not boiling) milk into the butter and onions mixture. Stir until thick.
5. Reduce heat to medium low and add seasonings and crumbled bacon.  Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the seasonings to do their thing.
6. While sauce is simmering, boil macaroni until al dente.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Add cheese to sauce and stir until well blended and cheese is melted.
8. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Place drained pasta in pan, and pour sauce over pasta.  Stir pasta and sauce until well mixed.
9. Cover mac and cheese in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
10. Bake until brown and bubbling, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8