Bacon Jalapeño Macaroni and Cheese

• Meat

  • 1 lb Bacon
  • 1 tsp Reserved bacon fat

• Produce

  • 1 Jalapeno peppers
  • 1/4 cup Onion

• Condiments

  • 1/4 cup Butter or margarine

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 lb Macaroni pasta

• Baking & Spices

  • 6 tbsp All-purpose flour
  • 1 Pinch Cayenne pepper - use more if you want it more, spicy
  • 1 tsp Garlic salt
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 Pinch Pepper

• Snacks

  • 3/4 cup Crackers

• Dairy

  • 2 1/2 cup Cheddar, sharp aged
  • 2 cups Milk

Found on dishesanddustbunnies.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 lb bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 lb macaroni pasta
• ¼ cup onion, chopped finely
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (you can use more or less according to taste)
• ½ cup sharp aged cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¾ cup crushed crackers (I used vegetable crackers but any variety you like should be fine)Cheese Sauce:
• 6 tbsp all purpose flour
• Pinch of cayenne pepper - use more if you want it more spicy
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch of pepper
• ¼ cup butter or margarine
• 1 tsp of reserved bacon fat
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sharp aged cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

• In a large skillet cook the chopped bacon until very crisp. Drain the fat from the pan and reserve 1 tsp for use in the cheese sauce. (Dont wash the pan yet! Youll need it again in a couple steps!)
• Place the cooked bacon on a couple layers of paper towel on a plate to allow to drain more. Give the bacon a pat down with some paper towel to help remove an more excess fat. Set aside.
• Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the macaroni noodles. (You wont have to add any salt to the water since theres salt in the cheese sauce.)
• While the macaroni is cooking, cook the chopped onion and jalapeno between Low and Medium heat until softened. Any of the leftover bacon fat in the pan (should only be a little coating the pan since most of it was drained before) will add a HUGE amount of flavour to to onions and jalapenos. Cook until just softened, remove from the pan and set aside.
• Once the macaroni pasta has cooked, drain and place into a 15x10 glass baking dish.
• Add the reserved jalapeno, onions and cooked bacon to the pasta and combine well.
• Make the cheese sauce according to instructions below and combine with the pasta in the baking dish. Make sure everything is coated in the cheese sauce.
• Use a spatula or a large spoon to spread the mac and cheese evenly in the baking dish.
• Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining shredded cheese and then top that with the crushed crackers.
• Place in the oven on the broiler setting for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden.
• Once it has finished in the oven, serve right away! 🙂Cheese Sauce Instructions:
• In a sauce pot on medium heat, melt the butter or margarine.
• Add the reserved 1 tsp of bacon fat to the pot.
• While the butter/margarine is melting, in a small dish combine the flour with the spices and seasonings.
• Once melted, heat still on medium, add the flour mixture while whisking quickly for about 1 - 2 minutes.
• Pour the milk into the pot and turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil.
• Quickly whisk while its coming to a boil. The sauce will thicken up fast.
• Once the sauce thickens up add the cheese to the pot and turn the heat down to LOW.
• Use the whisk to combine the cheese sauce and turn off the heat.
• Add the sauce to the macaroni pasta as described above.