Bacon Leek Mac & Cheese

 

Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyone’s week went by super quickly! This week again has been crazy for me! Leaving for Toronto on Sunday morning by train and coming home late on Tuesday! Then getting right back into the swing of things without even a moment to breath. Oh, tradeshow season! Blah!

Today, I wanted to share with you one of my new favorite recipes! It’s a treat. It didn’t make the list for our meal plan because of the time it takes to make and the price of the ingredients. But, if I know we are going to be home and are looking for a special meal item, I go to this recipe.

Ryan and I like to get the ingredients when we know we are both going to be home and have a free weekend night. I like to pour myself a glass of wine and Ryan does some prep.

Bacon Leek Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound of pasta shells (or elbow)

1/2 pound of thick-sliced bacon (or if you can’t find it regular will do!) chopped into little pieces

2 leeks, clean and sliced

1 teaspoon of thyme

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of flour

3 cups of half and half

8 ounces of sharp cheddar

6 ounces of havarti

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter your 9x13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente (aka: still a little chewy). Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy. Drain all by 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.

 

3. Add leaks and cook until softened and a little brown (about 10 minutes).

4. Return bacon to pan and add 1 teaspoon of thyme. Stir altogether and remove from heat.

5. In the same pot as you cooked the pasta in, melt butter over medium heat and stir in flour. Cooking, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.

6. Whisk in flour. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then turn down heat and let it simmer until thickened.

 

7. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Add shredded cheeses reserving 1 cup of cheddar for topping casserole.

8. Stir in pasta

9. Stir in bacon and leek mixture.

10. Stir until well combined

11. Pour pasta into casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

12. Enjoy! :-)

Doesn’t that sound like the most amazing recipe? It is so unbelievably flavorful and is definitely a treat that we really enjoy! It’s a special dish that we make occasionally but always look forward to having!

Happy Friday!

xo