Carolina Reaper Bacon Mac n Cheese
A spicy take on a classic favorite, this cheese sauce incorporates the heat from a Carolina Reaper to bring a kick along with the flavorful herbs for an adult version of this childhood dish!
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Deep Skillet
- Baking Dish
- Kitchen knife
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 medium Shallot
- 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1/2-3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream Depending on desired consistency, maybe a little more
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tbsp Carolina Reaper Cheese Could also use pepper jack, or simply more cheddar with a tbsp of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 pkg Noodles I used penne
- 4 strips Bacon
- 1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In the stockpot, bring water to a boil and add noodles.
- In skillet, cook the strips of bacon as directed and set aside.
- Using the same skillet (it's ok to leave a little bacon grease in there!), warm the butter and oil, adding in chopped shallot and minced garlic. Sautee until fragrant and add one sprig of the fresh thyme to cook slightly, along with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Once fragrant, stir in the flour and stir constantly until a thickened paste starts to form. Turn the heat lower and slowly add in the heavy cream, stirring until it starts to thicken from the paste.
- Gradually fold in the cheeses and stir until desired consistency forms. This is a good time to adjust spice level with more or less Carolina Reaper cheese (hint: start with a much smaller amount than you think and gradually add in-it sneaks up on you!).
- Straining the noodles, add them to the skillet along with two strips of the bacon chopped finely. Stir well and pour into your baking dish.
- Sprinkle with additional bacon pieces and breadcrumbs and bake until slightly browned (about 8 minutes), or place under the broiler for a few minutes for a more crunchy texture.
- Serve with additional sprinkles of fresh thyme and enjoy!