Description
Here is an easy big kid macaroni and cheese casserole. You will love the "adult" twist on mac & cheese with bechemal sauce, Gruyere and Parmesan. Every bite of this casserole is filled with flavorful gooey comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 6 strips good black forest bacon, chopped
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 15 basil leaves, roughly chopped
- salt
For Cheesy Bechamel Sauce:
- 4 cups milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
- fat from bacon
Instructions
- Preheat to 400F.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. It should take about 9 minutes or so in salted boiling water.
- In a large heavy skillet, brown chopped bacon on medium-high heat. When bacon crisps up nicely, remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to drain.
- In the same skillet, using the bacon fat, begin to prepare bechamel sauce. Brown flour in bacon fat for about 4 minutes or so on low/medium-low heat until it turns golden in color. Raise heat to medium and add room-temperature milk one-cup-at-a-time whisking continuously. Season with a pinch of salt, nutmeg, and garlic powder. Cook for another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally,until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Stir in Gruyere cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Remove from heat and let sit to thicken into a creamy cheesy bechamel.
- Combine pasta with spinach and basil.
- Add bechamel sauce and mix well to coat pasta. Mix in crispy bacon.
- Place in a baking dish, or divide in oven-safe individual-sized dishes or ramekins. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in 400F heated-oven for 20 minutes or so. Turn broiler on briefly and watch as top of the macaroni and cheese casserole turns crispy and slightly golden-brown. Remove from oven. Serve warm.
- Add a simple salad next to this casserole. You may also like our zucchini bechamel casserole.
Notes
- Visit the Mediterranean Dish store to purchase our all-natural or organic spices. Create your own 6-pack or 3-pack of your favorites!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian