Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices of bacon cooked (I recommend baking it in the oven to make it extra crispy.)
- 5-6 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 3 cups broccoli florets steamed or blanched
- 8 ounces of pasta measured by weight
- ¼ cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- salt and pepper to taste if desired
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- Measure out all your ingredients, chop your broccoli and grate your cheese.
- Boil pasta per package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside once done.
- While the pasta cooks, cook broccoli via your favorite method. I'm a big fan of quickly blanching broccoli in hot water until the florets are bright green and tender.
- For the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk constantly while the flour cooks off into a roux, approx. 3 minutes.Next, season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Slowly pour in your milk, whisking constantly until smooth and fully incorporated. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it rests.
- Add pasta and broccoli florets to a 9-inch or larger baking dish. You can add diced/shredded cooked chicken at this point as well if you desire to make this more like a casserole.
- Sprinkle 5-6 ounces of freshly grated cheese on top of the pasta.
- Pour your cream sauce over the noodles and cheese and use a rubber spatula to fold it all together. Feel free to top with a little extra cheese if you'd like, then top with bacon.
- Bake on center rack at 350° for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.