As an unofficial challenge to myself, I’ve been trying to cook a new recipe each week. You saw my Chicken, Biscuits n Gravy Casserole a couple weeks ago. I’ve actually cooked it again since then. (Don’t cook it in the toaster oven for this one, the biscuits burned pretty fast.)
And last weekend I found a Cooking Light Bacon Mac and Cheese that was pretty tasty and was a hit with Taylor…double bonus!! Again, I’ve put my comments in italics at the end of the original directions.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
- 2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler. (I used the toaster oven and it worked out just fine.)
2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. (I used mini fusilli pasta.)
3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes. (I used Cholula hot sauce. Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon worked great, and I like it extra crispy, so I cooked it in the microwave for about 45 seconds before crumbling it. Feel free to use more bacon than the recipe asks for, I think I used 5-6 slices.)
I really liked learning to make the sauce with the flour, milk and cheese…it was so easy. I also wasn’t sure about the green onions, but both Taylor and I really liked that part. I also added shredded rotisserie chicken meat when I was mixing up all the ingredients in the last step, which added some additional protein, and tasted delicious. (Thanks Brooke for introducing me to the rotisserie chicken!) This made about 6 servings, which re-heated up nicely for lunches.
One thing I promise, is that most of the recipes I try aren’t too complicated. If you try any of the recipes I’ve made, let me know how they turn out. I’ve got another recipe to share from today, but am going to wait a little bit to share.
Andrea Unplugged 