Grown-Up Macaroni & Cheese

So quick, easy, and tasty it will be my go-to Mac & Cheese. The specific cheese I used in this version are from Rogue Creamery.

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Grown-Up Macaroni & Cheese Save
Grown-Up Macaroni & Cheese

So quick, easy, and tasty it will be my go-to Mac & Cheese. The specific cheese I used in this version are from Rogue Creamery.

  • Preparing Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Served Person: 10
variant white meat free tree nut free nut free contains gluten contains red meat shellfish free contains pasta contains dairy
main dish

Step-by-step

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In 12" oven safe skillet cooked bacon until crisp on Medium/High heat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • In zip lock bag add bacon and cheddar fried onions, crush together and mix up. Set aside.
  • Remove all but 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and saute until translucent (4-5 minutes). Add garlic and saute for a couple of more minutes.
  • Add butter stir until melted, sprinkle flour over pan and whisk until all flour is absorbed by butter. Slowly add milk and continue whisking until all butter/flour mix has created a nice white sauce (it will be lumpy because of the onions and garlic). Add a pinch of Cayenne and salt & pepper to taste.
  • Slowly add in cheeses continuing to stir the entire time until cheese is melted in and blended well.
  • Cheese sauce should be a medium/thick consistency and should look as if it would easily coat the pasta. If it appears too thick add a little milk (a couple tablespoons at a time).
  • Add cooked pasta and stir to coat well. It will seem like there is a lot more sauce than is needed....It is OK. Remove from heat.
  • Sprinkle crushed Fried Onion/Bacon mixture over the top and place in oven for about 20 minutes until topping is a nice golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Adding cold milk to a hot butter and flour roux requires aggressive whisking to prevent starch granules from clumping into hard centers. Whisking continuously while pouring dairy in a thin stream hydrates the flour evenly, creating a uniform béchamel base before the aged cheddars and triple-cream cheeses are introduced. If the sauce thickens too rapidly during this stage, lowering the burner temperature prevents the dairy solids from scorching against the bottom of the pan.

A twelve-inch oven-safe skillet is mandatory for this workflow because moving the mixture from stovetop to oven requires thermal shock resistance. Cast iron or heavy-gauge enameled steel retains sufficient heat to continue cooking the penne evenly during the twenty-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stainless steel pans work as long as they feature an aluminum or copper core to distribute heat without forming hot spots that burn the garlic and onions.

Cooks frequently fail this style of dish by adding finely shredded cheese to a boiling sauce, which breaks the dairy emulsion and separates out grease instead of yielding a smooth texture. Pulling the skillet completely off the residual heat before stirring in the cowgirl creamery and farmhouse cheddars keeps the proteins relaxed. Maintaining a gentle melt preserves the viscosity needed to properly coat each piece of al dente pasta.

Resting the skillet for ten minutes after baking allows the internal starches to set and firm up the sauce for clean portioning. Slicing into molten pasta immediately causes the contents to collapse into a loose soup on the plate. Allowing the residual heat to dissipate slightly helps the melted dairy solidify just enough to hold its shape upon serving.

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