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I’m going to show you how EASY it is to make an amazing, yummy, HOMEMADE mac and cheese that your kids will go wild over!! This could totally be a one pot meal, but I’m using two because I’m adding bacon – but if you’d like no meat or rather add a veggie instead, you can sub that no problem.
Our Place recently launched their Perfect Pot – and let me tell you, it lives up to all of the hype it’s received. It replaces 8 pieces of traditional cookware with just ONE pot. Pretty cool, right? My favorite feature is you can pop the lid on and use the pour spout to drain your water/sauce/juice and you no longer need to use a colander. AH-MAZING!! A mom hack for sure. I also love that you can take it from stovetop to oven (which I do in this recipe!) and it serves as a Dutch oven as well. Get this though…it’s 1/3 the weight of a Dutch oven. I admit, I’ve loved using Dutch ovens in the past for baking especially, but what I did NOT love is the clunky-ness and how heavy my previous ones were. No more over extending yourself moving this one to and from the oven, around the kitchen, etc.
For this recipe, I am using both the Perfect Pot and the Always Pan (if you follow me on IG, you know my love for this pan runs deep too!!!) from Our Place. It is the perfect accompaniments to assemble this easily and conveniently.
Ingredients
16 oz box of elbow macaroni (cooked)
3 c heavy cream
5 tbsp salted butter
1 c milk
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mozzarella
3 c colby jack (or cheddar)
1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
12 oz turkey bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Over medium heat, cook your bacon until crispy and then let cool. Once cool, chop into small bits. While you’re doing this at the same time, cook pasta to al dente. When it is done cooking, add olive oil and stir to help pasta not stick.
To make the sauce, add butter to sauce pan (I used the same pan from the bacon, just wiped it down to avoid a ton of dishes and truly make this a 1 pot + 1 pan meal!) and let melt. Then add your flour and whisk out any clumps. Allow it to get golden and bubbly and then add cream and milk. Cook for another 2 min and add salt and pepper and wait until you see bubbles on the surface, then it is time to add your mozzarella and colby/cheddar cheeses gradually.
After that is incorporated (sauce will be thick), I add in the bacon (*or you can add your veggie, other meat, etc).
Stir sauce into your cooled pasta pot until it is all combined and the pasta is coated with the sauce and meat. Add paprika. Next, I melt a little butter (eyeball) and add it the panko (combine in a bowl) and stir together. Sprinkle this over the top of your pasta. I will also eyeball a little of the colby/cheddar and salt and pepper to the top too. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbly. Note: make sure your pasta pot is oven safe. I was not worried about this since I was using my Perfect Pot and that’s what it’s made to do!
This is always a family favorite and very simple for any busy weeknight! Let me know if you try it!!
