What’s more Southern than macaroni and cheese with bacon and pimientos?
Bacon-Pimiento Macaroni and Cheese
2014-12-17 05:01:19
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups half-and-half
- 3 cups shredded smoked Cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) box small penne or elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
- 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
- Garnish: sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat broiler. Spray 6 (1-cup)ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan, and let drain on paper towels. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in pan; crumble bacon.
- To drippings in pan, add butter, and melt over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in half-and-half, and cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is thickened and smooth. Add 2 cups each Cheddar and Parmesan and next 3 ingredients, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in pasta, pimientos, and bacon. Spoon pasta mixture into prepared ramekins, and top with remaining 1 cup each Cheddar and Parmesan.
- Broil for 4 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish with green onion, if desired.
Notes
- Get out your box grater, and shred blocks of cheese for this recipe. Your dish will have a creamier texture than if you use packaged shredded cheese, and you’ll also save money since blocks of cheese are cheaper than preshredded.
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