Bacon And Brussels Sprout Mac And Cheese Recipes

BACON AND BRUSSELS SPROUT MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• With a sharp paring knife, core the Brussels sprouts and separate the leaves; place in a large bowl.
• Heat a large pot of water to boil and salt the water. Parboil the leaves to tender crisp, 2 minutes. Remove with a spider, drain and cool. Dry the leaves on a kitchen towel. Add more water to fill the pot back up for the pasta, return to a boil.
• Heat a saucepot over medium heat; add the EVOO and brown the bacon. Remove and drain. Pour off most of the drippings, then add the butter and melt. Add the garlic and onions, stir 5 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper, then stir in the flour for 1 minute. Whisk in the wine to deglaze the saucepot. Whisk in the stock and then the milk. Season with a little bit of nutmeg. Thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low.
• Boil the pasta to just shy of al dente, 5 to 6 minutes, drain.
• Stir two-thirds each of the Cheddar, gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano into the sauce in a figure-eight motion. Drain the pasta, then toss with the Brussels sprouts, bacon and sauce, and pour into a baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal, or bake to serve. Place into the oven and bake until heated through and bubbly and brown on top.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• First boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and set aside.
• While the noodles are boiling, cook the brussels sprouts: In a large oven safe skillet or pot, add in olive oil and place over medium high heat. Once hot, add in brussels sprouts and sprinkle garlic powder on top, then season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently and cook until brussels begin to turn slightly golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Once nice, golden and tender, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet or pot, make a slurry: add butter and garlic. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds until a paste forms. Slowly add in cashew/almondmilk (or regular milk), whisking away any lumps. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, stirring every so often. Next add in 6 ounce of cheese and stir until cheese is completely melted. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Finally, fold in cooked noodles and cooked brussels sprouts to the cheese sauce. Taste again and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Top with additional 2 ounces shredded cheddar. At this point you can either serve the mac and cheese and just fold in the extra cheddar you just added, or remove from heat and place under the oven broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown. Serves 6. Top with a little freshly ground black pepper, and parsley if you'd like.

CHEESY BACON BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 3-quart saucepan, place Brussels sprouts; add enough water just to cover. Heat to boiling; boil 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and return to saucepan; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from skillet.
• Add butter to bacon fat in skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Add flour, thyme and pepper; cook and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in half-and-half and bouillon granules. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.
• Pour sauce over Brussels sprouts in saucepan; mix gently. Spoon into 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes, sprinkling with crumbled bacon and Cheddar cheese for last 10 minutes of baking, until hot and bubbly.