4 Cheese Mac n' Cheese with Bacon

September 21, 2012

Fall becomes an excuse to indulge in our favorite comfort foods. 4 cheese mac n' cheese with bacon is one of those dishes. It cheesy, creamy, and it has bacon. Make this at your next gathering and it will be gobbled up in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients:

Butter for casserole dish

8 slices thick center-cut bacon

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

5 1/2 cups whole milk (do not use skim)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (about 4 ½ ounces)

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)

1 1/2 cups grated Fontina cheese (about 6 ounces)

1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese (about 6 ounces), broken into small pieces

1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions:

Heat oven at 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish. Fry bacon slices; set on paper towels. Pour off all but approximately 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Put pan back on medium heat and add onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until softened. While stirring constantly, add about a third of the flour; continue stirring and slowly adding flour, for at least 1 minute.

Transfer onion/flour mixture to a large, heavy saucepan on medium heat. While whisking, slowly pour in milk. Cook while whisking until mixture bubbles and gets thicker (not necessarily “thick”). Remove pan from heat. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, the cheeses and stir. Crumble bacon and add it, stirring. Set aside.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan about 2-3 minutes less than the container’s instructions. Drain pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Stir pasta into the cooked cheese sauce. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let dish stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.