Gussied Up Mac N Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.
• Quarter red and green pepper, then place them on the grill, cooking until tender. Once grill marks are formed, remove peppers from grill and set aside. Boil elbow macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente - drain and set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and then whisk in flour to thicken, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and whisk in. Begin adding cheeses 1 at a time, thoroughly whisking each cheese. If sauce becomes too thick, add remaining cup of milk. Once all cheeses are blended add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, grilled peppers, jalapeno pepper and stir to combine. Add elbows to mixture and stir again. Once combined well, add to a cast iron 9 by 13-inch rectangle casserole dish, and sprinkle top with bread crumbs and an additional 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Place on grill for 12 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.
• Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.
• Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. A little at a time, whisk in milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in pepperjack, Cheddar and Parmesan until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chili powder. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.