Baked Mac and Cheese
When Jess and I do dinner together, we always try new recipes and then we discuss for a good few minutes about what we would change if we were to make it again. But we never end up repeating recipes because there are always new recipes we want to try. Last night we decided we wanted to try something completely new and just wing it! So we did! I am always pretty nervous about winging it in the kitchen because what if it's not good?? There are few things in this world that bring as much hurt and disappointment to me as bad food. You get excited planning for it, you are thrilled when you're cooking, everything smells heavenly and you can't wait... And then sometimes it's not the texture you wanted. Or you misjudged the cooking time. Whatever it may be, it's utterly terrible. Greg is so good to me and says he always likes what I cook but sometimes when I create something that doesn't meet my expectations, there is just no cheering me up for a good while. Well until dinner is cleaned up, then I'm usually fine. So yesterday, when we decided to wing it, there was a mixture of apprehension but also excitement! I knew exactly how I wanted to make this Mac and Cheese and I knew exactly what I wanted to go into it and I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am picky about Mac and Cheese. I was determined not to have this one fail. So I ran my idea by Jess and she loved it and suggested we use Pepper Jack cheese along with cheddar. Hello? Brilliant! So we got to chopping, cooking, taste testing, and finally, mixing everything together. Into the oven it went to bake and get gooey and delicious (hopefully). When it came out, I couldn't help myself. I scooped out a big helping and immediately tried a bite. I was so pleased when I took that first bite! This Mac and Cheese was extremely cheesy, gooey, a little spicy. There was an amazing salty bite from the bacon, the chicken was juicy, and the tomatoes added a great little sweetness. On top of the Mac and Cheese, we put Parmesan cheese on top and that got browned and delicious. After everyone ate, Jess and I decided that there wasn't a single thing we would change about this recipe. That doesn't usually happen. I was so thrilled! This one will for sure be in the rotation. Greg ate about 3 servings of it so I don't think he'll complain!
Recipe
1 lb small noodles (elbows, shells, etc.)
6-8 strips bacon
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and diced
Parmesan Cheese for topping
For the Sauce:
3 T butter
3 T flour (Jess is gluten intolerant so we used cornstarch but flour would work great)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 c cream
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 c pepper Jack cheese
The first thing we did was cook the bacon. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with foil and a cooling rack (so the bacon grease will drip onto the foil lined pan). Lay the bacon on the cooling rack in a single layer and bake for about 15 minutes. Once it's done, pat off excess grease and cut into pieces.
While the bacon is cooking, season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through. Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Remove any brown bits from the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic and the tomatoes. Cook together, stirring frequently, for just a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
Begin to boil water for pasta. While water is heating up, dice the cooked chicken. When the water is ready, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Once the pasta was in, we started on the sauce. In a medium-large pot, melt the butter. When butter is melted, whisk in flour, cayenne, and paprika. Once it's all combined, add the milk and cream and stir constantly. Bring to a quick boil and watch carefully. It will boil up a lot! Turn heat down a little if you need to and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Once the pasta is drained, return to the pot it was cooked in and add tomatoes, chicken, and bacon. Stir to combine then pour cheese sauce over everything. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover the top with Parmesan cheese and put in 400 degree over for about 15-20 minutes. Just before pulling it out, turn to broil and broil until golden brown on top.
Recipe
1 lb small noodles (elbows, shells, etc.)
6-8 strips bacon
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and diced
Parmesan Cheese for topping
For the Sauce:
3 T butter
3 T flour (Jess is gluten intolerant so we used cornstarch but flour would work great)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 c cream
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 c pepper Jack cheese
The first thing we did was cook the bacon. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with foil and a cooling rack (so the bacon grease will drip onto the foil lined pan). Lay the bacon on the cooling rack in a single layer and bake for about 15 minutes. Once it's done, pat off excess grease and cut into pieces.
While the bacon is cooking, season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through. Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Remove any brown bits from the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic and the tomatoes. Cook together, stirring frequently, for just a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
Begin to boil water for pasta. While water is heating up, dice the cooked chicken. When the water is ready, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Once the pasta was in, we started on the sauce. In a medium-large pot, melt the butter. When butter is melted, whisk in flour, cayenne, and paprika. Once it's all combined, add the milk and cream and stir constantly. Bring to a quick boil and watch carefully. It will boil up a lot! Turn heat down a little if you need to and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Once the pasta is drained, return to the pot it was cooked in and add tomatoes, chicken, and bacon. Stir to combine then pour cheese sauce over everything. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover the top with Parmesan cheese and put in 400 degree over for about 15-20 minutes. Just before pulling it out, turn to broil and broil until golden brown on top.
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