So I know things have been incredibly quiet over here lately. And no. I do not have a good excuse. All I can say is that life happens and I've just swept away with it. Plus it seems as though everything I've made lately just hasn't been up to par enough to share with you. Like recipes that are good, but still need a little finesse. And then there's this recipe. Which I LOVED, but I'm not too sure the rest of my family liked it. So, I've been hemming and hawing over whether I should share it or not. And obviously I decided I would. Because I LOVE it. Did I already mention that?
It's not too spicy, so if you were worried, well don't be. It has zip, but not a lot of spice. Unless of course you add on some extra at the end, which I did, but the rest of the fam did not. Which is maybe why I liked it so much more than they did. What a bunch of chickens. Sheesh. Although I can't exactly blame Moira for it. I was the one who dished up her plate and I didn't want to burn her taste buds off. Plus she was pretty happy with her broccoli florets. So, noodles and cheese vs. veggies? Ok, so it's totally a mom win, but sometimes I wonder if she's really my child because I LOVE cheese. And carbs. But then I remember she's part Adam too and he doesn't love cheese. Or carbs. So, anyways, back to the cheese and carbs. Which I found to be delicious.
I added a little bit of buffalo sauce into the cheddar-blue cheese sauce (just enough for the zip) and served more buffalo sauce on the side (for the additional heat), which I drizzled over my heap of mac and cheese. After putting the mac and cheese into the baking dish, I sprinkled half of it with some extra blue cheese, which is also totally optional. Adam prefers less in the blue cheese department, so he enjoyed from the no-extra-blue-cheese side. You could also add in some chicken chunks to make this dish a whole-meal-deal.
Buffalo Mac And Cheese
1 lb small shaped pasta, such as elbow macaroni or small shells
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup blue cheese (or less) for sprinkling on top, optional
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Buffalo wing sauce, optional
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon until mostly crispy. Add in onion and jalapenos and cook until onions are translucent and soft, about 2-3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon, onions and jalapenos from pot to a bowl. Set aside for later. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon grease and discard the rest. Add in 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter has melted, stir in flour. Let flour/butter mixture brown slightly. Using a whisk, quickly mix in the milk, whisking constantly. Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and buffalo wing sauce. Once the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Stir in cheddar, mozzarella and swiss cheeses. Stir in cooked pasta, bacon/onion mixture, and 1/3 cup blue cheese (if you want to add in some cooked chicken, you should stir it in now). Once the pasta is thoroughly coated in the cheese sauce, pour into a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with more blue cheese if desired. Sprinkle evenly with panko bread crumbs. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and the edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and serve with additional buffalo wing sauce.
Source: Adapted from Lauren's Latest
It's not too spicy, so if you were worried, well don't be. It has zip, but not a lot of spice. Unless of course you add on some extra at the end, which I did, but the rest of the fam did not. Which is maybe why I liked it so much more than they did. What a bunch of chickens. Sheesh. Although I can't exactly blame Moira for it. I was the one who dished up her plate and I didn't want to burn her taste buds off. Plus she was pretty happy with her broccoli florets. So, noodles and cheese vs. veggies? Ok, so it's totally a mom win, but sometimes I wonder if she's really my child because I LOVE cheese. And carbs. But then I remember she's part Adam too and he doesn't love cheese. Or carbs. So, anyways, back to the cheese and carbs. Which I found to be delicious.
I added a little bit of buffalo sauce into the cheddar-blue cheese sauce (just enough for the zip) and served more buffalo sauce on the side (for the additional heat), which I drizzled over my heap of mac and cheese. After putting the mac and cheese into the baking dish, I sprinkled half of it with some extra blue cheese, which is also totally optional. Adam prefers less in the blue cheese department, so he enjoyed from the no-extra-blue-cheese side. You could also add in some chicken chunks to make this dish a whole-meal-deal.
Buffalo Mac And Cheese
1 lb small shaped pasta, such as elbow macaroni or small shells
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup blue cheese (or less) for sprinkling on top, optional
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Buffalo wing sauce, optional
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon until mostly crispy. Add in onion and jalapenos and cook until onions are translucent and soft, about 2-3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon, onions and jalapenos from pot to a bowl. Set aside for later. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon grease and discard the rest. Add in 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter has melted, stir in flour. Let flour/butter mixture brown slightly. Using a whisk, quickly mix in the milk, whisking constantly. Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and buffalo wing sauce. Once the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Stir in cheddar, mozzarella and swiss cheeses. Stir in cooked pasta, bacon/onion mixture, and 1/3 cup blue cheese (if you want to add in some cooked chicken, you should stir it in now). Once the pasta is thoroughly coated in the cheese sauce, pour into a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with more blue cheese if desired. Sprinkle evenly with panko bread crumbs. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and the edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and serve with additional buffalo wing sauce.
Source: Adapted from Lauren's Latest
Holy Calorie Cow, Elizabeth--But sounds so yummy. won't get this past the noses of my 3 Dudes cause of the bleu cheese-but would surely make my tummy smile ;)
ReplyDelete