Bacon Mac and Cheese

Final week before the Bryants arrive Tuesday for the twelve-day July visit. Brayden is ninety-one weeks old. The apartment is small-prep-mode for the visit — the spare bedroom has been deep-cleaned, the Hampton Inn booking is confirmed, the visit-itinerary is firmed up to the day.

Bacon mac and cheese is the kid-friendly comfort-food casserole — the standard mac-and-cheese (a roux-based cheese sauce with sharp cheddar and a small amount of cream cheese for the velvet-texture-back-note) reinforced with crumbled cooked bacon mixed into the pasta and additional bacon-strips laid across the top before the final bake. The dish is the kind of comfort-meal that pleases all ages.

The technique question is the cheese-sauce consistency. Too thick and the sauce coats heavily but does not flow around the pasta. Too thin and the sauce drains to the bottom of the casserole. The fix is the warm-milk-into-cooked-roux technique that I have been refining for three years.

Sunday I made a 9x13 pan. Dustin had three large helpings. Brayden had a small portion of plain pasta-and-cheese (no bacon — he can have the cheese-pasta but the bacon will go in his portion when he is a little older).

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives at two PM. She stays for two hours. She holds Brayden (and later helps with both kids). She drinks the small cup of coffee I keep ready. We talk through the small week’s family-news. The small visits are the small social-thread that connects the Tulsa-apartment-life to the small Sapulpa-extended-family.

Brayden’s small developmental milestones have been arriving on the small typical-schedule. The pediatrician has been pleased at the small monthly check-ins. The small baby-and-now-toddler life continues to be the small foreground of the small family-of-three rhythm.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 oz elbow macaroni
6 strips bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
Crisp the bacon. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
Build the roux. Add butter to the drippings in the pan and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until the mixture turns lightly golden and smells nutty.
Make the sauce. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5–7 minutes.
Add the cheese. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the sour cream, then add cheddar and mozzarella a handful at a time, stirring until fully melted and smooth. Season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt.
Combine and finish. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to coat evenly. Fold in most of the bacon, reserving some for topping. Serve hot, topped with the remaining bacon and an extra pinch of smoked paprika if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bacon Mac and Cheese