This Jalapeno and Bacon Mac & Cheese is a great dish to make for kids and adults. Although this recipe does have jalapeno in the title, it is not at all spicy. If you are a person who doesn't enjoy jalapenos in their food, you can always leave them out of the recipe (don't worry, it will still turn out great).
This recipe includes crispy spiced pankos. These are breadcrumbs that are the perfect crunchy contrast to the creamy and gooey cheese.
Tips and Tricks:
Pasta: When salting your pasta cooking water, don't be shy. You'll want to add a few pinches until it taste like salt water from the sea. This will help infuse the noodles with enough flavor to complement the cheesy sauce.
Southwest Spice Seasoning: For this recipe you will need a southwest spice seasoning. You can wither get this from the store, or you can make it homemade (nothing beats homemade). This spice is a blend of a few spices to make any food more flavorful and tasty. You can add it to almost anything including chicken, salads, grilled cheese, and way more. In order to make this spice you are going to need to blend cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, back pepper, and cayenne pepper. Just mix them and put them in a jar and use it for anything that needs a little extra flavor to it!
Cream Sauce Base: This recipe also includes a cream sauce base. This is a basic sauce that you can make at home or even buy at the store. You can make this sauce at home by mixing together basic ingredients such as butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese. For more exact instructions, search up 'how to make cream sauce base for pasta.' When you find a recipe, follow the instruction and come back to this recipe when you are ready to move on. (or you could always just by it from the store :)
Bacon: One common mistake that people do while cooking bacon, is that they fry it on the pan. Although this method is most time effective for those quick morning meals, it is not nearly as tasty as cooking it in the oven. Many people don't know this, but the proper way to cook bacon is in the oven. Fist you must take out a baking tray, line it with baking sheet, and fit as many bacons trips on it as possible (do not overlap them as it will not cook properly). Next, set the oven to 400F degrees and bake for 25-35 min until the bacon is perfectly chewy and crispy.
Ingredients(serves 4-5 people):
- 12 oz Cavatappi Pasta
- 8 oz bacon
- 8 oz Cream sauce Base
- 2 jalapenos
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend
- 8 tbsp Cream cheese
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp southwestern spice blend
- 2 gralic cloves
- 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 scallions
Instructions:
1) In a medium pot, bring salt water to a boil.
2) Add bacon on a baking sheet and on 400F degrees bake for 25-35 min (time depends on how crispy you want your bacon). Once the bacon is done, drain the extra bacon fat, and let the bacon cool down on a paper towel.
3) Wash and dry all produce. Halve jalapeno; thinly slice one half into rounds and finely dice remaining. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince garlic.
4) Once water in boiling, add cavatappi pasta to pot. Cook for about 9-11 min. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water then drain.
5) While pasta cooks, stir together 1 tbsp melted butter with panko, 2 tsp southwest spice, and salt and pepper.
6) Heat large pan with a little bit of oil and add sliced jalapenos with salt. Cook for just about 2-3 min and transfer into a small bowl and set aside. Add scallion whites, diced jalapenos, and garlic to the same pan. Cook for about 2-3 min and season with slat a pepper.
7) Mix together 2 tbsp flour and cream sauce into the large pan, and whisk until well combined. Whisk in cream cheese, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water, and remaining Southwest Spice. Reduce heat to low and whisk until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. (2-3 min) Whisk in Mexican cheese and Monterey Jack until melted and creamy.
8) Heat boiler to high. Roughly chop bacon into fine pieces, and stir in bacon and cavatappi pasta into pan with crease sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
9) Transfer mac and cheese into a large baking dish and sprinkle with seasoned panko and sliced jalapeno (don't stir in, just sprinkle on top).
10) Broil panko until it is browned and crispy (2-3 min). Sprinkle with scallion greens.
11) Enjoy!
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