Definitely qualifying as comfort food, I’d never tried this one til Monika passed it along. A natural, the melding of the smoky bacon and the cheese makes this dish ideal for a side with a steak or pork chops, or perfect all alone when paired with a tossed salad and some crusty bread. One bite and you’re going to be hooked.

Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 medium onion
350g dried macaroni
6-8 rashers of bacon (depending on how much you like bacon)
1.5 tsp Wholegrain mustard or Coleman’s dry mustard
450ml Milk
4 tbsp Flour
250g Grated mature cheddar cheese
Method
1.Dice one onion
2.Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces, and place bacon and onion in a skillet. Cook until bacon is thoroughly cooked, beginning to brown and all liquid has cooked off. Remove the pan from the heat .
3.Meanwhile cook the macaroni according to packet instructions.
While the macaroni is cooking
4.Stir the flour into the bacon, until a ball is formed. Add a small portion of the milk and stir again. Repeat until ¾ of the milk have been used.
5.Return the saucepan to the heat, and cook slowly over a low heat, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, all the time stirring constantly.
6.Add the mustard and ¾ of the cheese to the sauce, and stir until it is well mixed.
7.Slowly add enough remaining milk to the sauce, stir constantly. Add more milk if the sauce is too thick or cook slightly longer if too thin.
8.Place the bacon/onion mixture and the cooked macaroni into a casserole dish and pour over the sauce and mix well.
9.Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top and place in moderate oven for ½ hour or until cheese sauce is bubbling.

This was a huge hit at our potluck dinner, it’s fast, easy, delicious and the cleanup doesn’t take much time.  For a quick treat for taking with you to a dinner or get together, put it into a foil baking pan so you  needn’t worry about the return of your pan.

If you’re interested in fun ways to serve it up or other kitcheny type things, check out Amazon UK for great ideas and great pricing.

2 Responses to “Monika’s Macaroni and Cheese With Bacon”