Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Bacon & Gouda Macaroni & Cheese

This one's for you, Tootie. ; )

16 oz macaroni
1/2 lb bacon, snipped into pieces
1 medium red onion, diced
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) Gouda cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 2-qt baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook macaroni in boiling water, per package directions. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium heat. When they are crispy, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon drippings, then return pan to heat and add onions. Cook and stir until the onions are soft and translucent. Remove from pan and set aside with bacon bits.

Return pan to heat, and add butter. When butter is melted, whisk in flour, stirring until it bubbles. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Continue stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Stir in bacon bits and onion. Gently stir in cooked, drained macaroni, mixing thoroughly. Pour macaroni mixture into prepared baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

4 comments:

Tootie said...

I tried this on Sunday and it was wonderful! We are not macaroni eaters but DH and I loved it. Next time I'll use more bacon and less pasta, maybe put some buttered bread crumbs on top.

Cheryl said...

So glad you liked it! It's dangerous, I tell you. I could eat the whole batch by myself. LOL We went to a restaurant the other day that had bricks of fried mac & cheese. This stuff would be to die for like that!

Tootie said...

Cheesecake Factory has fried macaroni and cheese balls. I was thinking how easy it would be do that with the leftovers too. I used a smoked, processed Gouda because it was cheaper. For some reason I was thinking I needed 16 oz. of cheese and Gouda is expensive so I was trying to cut costs. That's OK, now I can make it again in a few weeks.

sara said...

I concur that bread crumbs would be a nice touch. I would also like to try a sweeter onion next time...DH slightly put off by the onion-iness. I loved it. I will be using a couple more slices of bacon next time as well.

This is a keeper for sure!