Jalapeno Popper Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

JALAPENO POPPER MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to pot; set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and jalapenos; cook until just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in flour, coating vegetables well. Whisk in milk slowly until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Season sauce with garlic powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in processed cheese and cream cheese until melted and sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
• Pour macaroni into cheese sauce and stir to coat completely. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Cool briefly.
• Crumble bacon and mix with panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni. Top with jalapeno slices.
• Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

JALAPENO POPPER BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring an 8 quart pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile warm a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite size pieces over the skillet and let them fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.
• While the bacon is cooking, shred cheeses and dice jalapenos.
• Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.
• Pour reserved bacon drippings back int the skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once melted add jalapenos and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add flour to skillet and whisk to combine. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine.
• Add cream cheese and stir until softened. Allow to come to a bubble for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a boil and add cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add remaining bacon. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce. Sprinkle with reserved bacon.