Saturday, September 12, 2009

Bacon Mac




I am already such a fan of Cooking Light, but just like any magazines, some months are better then others. This months edition was a particular treat with just about every recipe jumping off the page at me, and so far, none of them have been disappointing! When I saw this one, I new for sure I had to make it, if not for me, then for my husband and kids, who love pasta so much, sometimes I don't know why I bother to make anything else!

One thing I've just barely discovered is what a difference salting your boiling water makes when cooking pasta. Your pasta has so much more flavor and I just think the entire dish benefits from it, so if you haven't been seasoning your pasta, give it a try

Bacon Mac
From Cooking Light September 2009 edition

Ingredients

3 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
12 ounces preferred pasta
4 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk divided
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center cut cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat broiler

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook al dente, drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes, or until it cools to 155. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart, broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

Serves 6: 1 serving is about 1 cup

Per Serving: 399cal, 13.8g fat, 20g prot, 48.7g carb, 2g fiber, 44mg chol.

Points per Serving: 9

30 comments:

Barbara Bakes said...

Sounds great! Bacon would add such a nice smokey flavor to Mac & Cheese.

Lynn said...

By looking at your picture, I'd have never guessed this was a light recipe. Yum! It looks scrumptious. Love that bacon ;)

Leslie said...

Light??? Wow..looks full fat to me! YUm

Erica said...

Ow- this is a dish my husband would certainly love!!! You're only 5'0" I love it!!! Yayy tiny gals ;)

Heidi said...

This looks great. My Simple and Delicious magazine was better than normal this month too. Maybe we are just drawn to "fall" type foods.

chow and chatter said...

great mac and cheese recipe yum

Jenn said...

Bacon and mac and cheese. It doesn't get any better than that. Two comfort foods that put a smile on my face.

Marge said...

oh yum....thanks for sharing this recipe and the tip about seasoning the water!

MaRiN said...

This looks great! Especially with Bacon- How could you go wrong? I need to subscribe to this magazine!

Rebekah said...

you are speaking my language! bacon and cheese, there's nothing better!!!

theUngourmet said...

It's so great that you posted this because I just was at the store and bought sharp cheddar, shell pasta and bacon so I could make mac and cheese with bacon. Yay! Now I have a recipe! ;D

Palidor said...

Ahhhh, that looks soooo yummy! You can't go wrong wit mac & cheese AND bacon!!

figtree said...

Bacon and Cheese? Your killin me!! I am making this TONIGHT! Much thanks, Figtreeapps

Cucinista said...

You're killing me here.

Reeni said...

This looks crazy good!! Serious comfort food!!

Carrie said...

Ok, you have no idea how crazy insane this dish would make my family. They love mac and cheese and they LOVE bacon! I am putting this on my "to try list" for next week, they will love it!

MaryBeth said...

Looks gooey and yummy, however I really think it needs at least 4 pieces of bacon...

Heather S-G said...

BACON! Mac! Me thinky me likey!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

A wonderful recipe...I will save this for a cold rainy Sunday afternoon when i need some comfort

Elizabeth said...

I lusted after this recipe in my issue of the mag as well. So glad you blogged it - it looks great!

Katy ~ said...

Just look at all that goodness going on in this! Wow! It looks GOOD!!

Christy said...

Mmmm-this is the ultimate comfort food for my kids! I love the addition of the bacon, what a grown up flavor!

Pam said...

Now that's comfort food - it looks so rich, creamy and delicious.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I'm not too crazy about mac-n-cheese but I love the browned bits on top.
~ingrid

Anonymous said...

bacon? cheese? pasta? healthy? Ok, I'm making this.

Alissa said...

I finally made this & oh YUMMY!!! I love the little kick the hot sauce gives it. Really is a different kinda mac huh?! Love it!

Debbie said...

Sounds great. The bacon flavor must be wonderful!

Judy said...

Salted water for pasta is a must. I like this recipe, sounds easy and I like that it's broiled to crisp up the top w/o drying out the pasta. Nice seasonings and bacon makes everything taste good!

Kim said...

It looks divine! Bacon and hot sauce - yum. I bet my family would love this one. And, I couldn't agree more with you on cooking mags. Some months I want to make every recipe and other months I could throw it out the window.

Anonymous said...

Bacon and Mac & Cheese.... YUM!!