Mac and Cheese

Blog Announcement: this is recipe #95. If anyone has any ideas about something really good for the 100th meal I'd love to hear them!!!

This dish was made for some friends back home in the OC. I wanted something that would please just everyone and that I could make ahead so that when people arrived at the house all I had to do was bake the mac and cheese and some garlic bread and was able to play drinking games while dinner finished haha. I wanted a hearty taste so I added mushrooms and then came to find that my friends don't like mushrooms. It was still tasty but there were a lot of piles of mushrooms on plates haha

Ingredients:
1 pound penne rigate or macaroni noodles
6 pieces of bacon
2 containers of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 table spoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons of red chili flake
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (reserve 1/4 cup to side)
1 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (reserve 1/4 cup to side)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper


Directions:
1. put a large pot of water to boil. ONce boiling cook pasta to al dente doneness according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Make bacon in a large saute pan. Try to get it crispy so finished dish has texture. Set bacon aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.

3. Add onions to bacon fat and cook over medium heat. Cook until onions are caramelized or translucent. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until tender and cooked down slightly ( about 10 minutes)

4. Make Cheese Sauce: melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk until combine. cook mixture for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, whisking constantly. Add milk and whisk to combine. add nutmeg and chili flakes and allow to simmer. Liquid should thicken in about 10-15 minutes. Once thickend to a saucy consistency add cheese slowly and whisk to combine.

5. Putting it all together. Butter a large casserole dish. Place the pasta in the large now empty pot you originally boiled the water in. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix together. Add mushrooms and onions and stir to combine. Finally add 1/4 of the cheese sauce then stir. add another quarter and stir again. repeat until all cheese sauce is incorporated. Crumble in bacon and stir one more time. Pour everything into the casserole and even the top.

6. To make the topping mix the bread crumbs and reserved cheese. Sprinkle over the casserole. You can place this in the fridge at this point and keep until later that night. I don't suggest making it any earlier then that day.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Pull casserole from fridge while oven heating. When hot add mac and cheese and cook until hot and top is slightly browned.

8. I served this dish with garlic bread and an artichoke but feel free to add whatever sides you want. enjoy!