In the kitchen with Elisa
Super Creamy Mac'n'Cheese
Creamy goodness with a crunchy bacon crust
Cheese and Bacon! My two very favourite things :)​
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Most of you probably know already that I am a Russian-Finnish girl living in Germany. So I have really nothing to do with the American cuisine. However, as I love food and I love different cuisines, the American cuisine is no different. There are so many things that I love and cook very often. Like my easy to make creamy Coleslaw or my New York Style Cheesecake or my homemade Chicken Nuggets.. I could go on and on and on :) But I won't, I will just say that I love it and I love re-creating different dishes in my own way.
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Today I have something for you that I absolutely love love loooove! I could eat cheese from the early morning to the late night and never get bored of it. There are so many different types of cheese and they are all, oh, wait, not all (well, not for me :D) really tasty. Summer time is feta time for me, I love it in my salads and with my fruit. When it comes to winter it has to be cheddar. Cheddar is my life long love I got to know during my studies in th UK and I miss it every day :) Luckily we can get a couple of different cheddar cheeses here in Germany as well. Why is cheddar for winter? Well, because I love using it for my mac'n'cheese and all other casserole dishes that I usually tend to make more during the colder months. The salty and flavourful cheddar cheese brings any dish to another level. And so you know that this recipe will also have cheddar :)
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Now, I know everyone likes different kind of cheeses. Some like the milder ones and some the more flavourful ones. I used cheddar and emmental for this recipe, but you can use any cheese that you like and you think will taste great in a mac'n'cheese. Also it has to be a cheese that melts well.
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Don't forget to make the bacon crust and I promise, you won't regret it :)
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Happy Holidays Lovelies!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
Super Creamy Mac'n'Cheese
Creamy goodness with a crunchy bacon crust
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​INGREDIENTS
(makes about 6 portions)
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10 bacon strips
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300g macaroni
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100g butter
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100g flour
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1 litre milk (3.8% fat content)
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150g + 150g cheese (I used cheddar and emmental)
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salt
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black pepper
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paprika
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DIRECTIONS
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Fry the bacon on medium-high heat until brown and crispy from both sides. Remove onto a plate with a paper kitchen towel to allow the excess fat to drip off and to allow the bacon to cool.
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Cook the macaroni in salted water as instructed on the packaging. Once almost cooked through, remove from heat and strain the water.
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To make the white sauce, melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the flour while whisking continuously and once you have added all of the flour, continue mixing for another couple of minutes. Make sure to keep the heat on medium. Then start adding the milk slowly while whisking. Once you have added all of the milk continue heating over medium-high heat while whisking continuously until the sauce thickens up. Then remove from heat and add in the grated cheese. If you want to sprinkle some cheese over the top then leave a little aside. Mix until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce, this might take a couple of minutes, just allow the cheese to melt first. If you notice that the cheese is not melting you can return the sauce to heat shortly just until the cheese has melted in. Then season with salt, pepper and some red paprika.
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Combine the white sauce with the macaroni and transfer into a casserole dish (22cm x 22cm).
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Chop the cooled bacon into small crumb like pieces. Sprinkle the bacon bits over the macaroni. If you want you can also sprinkle a little cheese over the bacon.
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Bake in 200°C bottom top heat in the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
