Who doesn't love crispy creamy mac and cheese? We wanted to put our own twist on this comfort food by adding homemade chili powder and crispy bacon. The better quality cheddar you use in this recipe the better tasting the mac will be.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Macaroni Elbows
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 2 1/2 cups 2% Milk
- 2 cups Grated Mild White Cheddar
- 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar
- 4 slices Bacon
- 1 Jalapeno
Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking, and return to the pan you boiled it in. Set aside. Cook the bacon till crisp. Set aside on paper towels.
Chop the jalapeno pepper leaving out half of the seeds.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chili powder and salt. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.
Stir in the milk. Keeping on medium heat, whisk constantly for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat, and stir in 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted.
In a bowl combine the cheese sauce, noodles and jalapeno peppers until all noodles are covered.Add half the noodles to a two quart casserole dish. Sprinkle on half the cheese. Add the rest of the noodles.
Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, and dust lightly with the smoked paprika. Bake for about 25 minutes, until it starts getting a slightly dry and a tiny bit brown on top. Chop bacon in to small pieces and sprinkle on top.
Let cook in the oven for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!
