Best Macaroni Cheese Cheese Cheese Pancetta Recipes

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH PANCETTA AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray lightly all sides of a (7 x 11) medium-size casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, cook the elbow pasta in boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Cook pasta for about 7 minutes until "al dente." Drain.
• Meantime, in a large skillet, cook the pancetta until fully cooked and crispy.
• Drain and discard the fat. Transfer to a 7 x 11 baking casserole dish.
• In the same skillet add olive oil and sauté the onions for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown. Transfer onions to the baking dish.
• Using a wooden spoon, transfer the cooked elbow pasta to the baking dish.
• Add 1+1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (reserve the other 1/2 cup for topping), cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese, and fresh cracked black pepper.
• Pour in the half-and-half.
• Stir and mix everything until well combined.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and stir gently. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella. Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is completely melted. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
• Serves 6

MACARONI & CHEESE & CHEESE & CHEESE & PANCETTA

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot, boil water for the pasta. Season with salt. Cook until firm but not soft. The pasta will continue to absorb a little from the sauce, so keeping the pasta firm assures your pasta won't be soggy in the casserole. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water to adjust sauce thickness if necessary.
• 2. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large skillet until crunchy. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the grease in the pan while you spoon out the pancetta onto a paper towel. Set aside.
• 3. In the same skillet as you cooked the pancetta in (with the reserved grease), add the butter and heat over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Cook until slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
• 4. Whisking continually, add the half and half. Whisk until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and continue to whisk until it is well blended and smooth. Stir in the thyme, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, nutmeg and cayenne. Cook, whisking continually, until thickened - about 5 minutes or so.
• 5. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon thickly, remove from heat.
• 6. Stir in the cheddar cheese and parmesan until melted. TASTE at this point to make sure you like the seasonings. Adjust to your preference.
• 7. Add the drained pasta and stir well. Add reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, to thin the sauce if desired.
• 8. Spray a deep casserole dish with Pam. Spoon in half of the pasta. Top with the mozzarella and pancetta.
• 9. Spoon in the rest of the pasta and top with panko.
• 10. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 35 - 40 minutes until browned and bubbling.

PAUL'S CRAFTY MAC N CHEESE WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook ziti until al dente. Strain and rinse in cool water. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, cook pancetta until it is crispy and the fat has rendered. In the same pan, add all of the cheeses and the cream and whisk until blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly add the cooked ziti to the cheese mixture, stirring gently. Transfer the ziti and cheese mixture to a large baking dish or cast iron skillet. Top off with more cheese and bake for 24 to 30 minutes.

PANCETTA, GRUYERE, PARMESAN AND FONTINA MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with kosher salt. Add the shells and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions. You want the pasta to be al dente. Drain, then set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add the olive oil and pancetta into a large heavy-bottomed pot and turn on the heat to low. Cook the pancetta to slowly render the fat, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is crispy and most of the fat has rendered out, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Reserve the pancetta fat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux with the pancetta fat and butter. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Add in the milk, Dijon mustard and hot sauce and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the fontina cheese, Gruyere and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Stir to combine with a rubber spatula until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the cooked shells and crispy pancetta and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, you can add a little more milk. Season to taste with kosher salt.
• Transfer the mac and cheese into individual ramekins or a large baking dish. Top evenly with the panko and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan and place into the oven until the breadcrumbs are browned, about 5 minutes.

CHEESY MACARONI BAKE WITH LEEKS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, whisk flour and chicken broth until blended. Cook leeks, pancetta and garlic in large deep skillet on medium heat 8 min. or until white parts of leeks are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add cream cheese spread and chicken broth mixture; mix well. Cook 2 to 4 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Add shredded cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
• Combine cracker crumbs and butter.
• Drain macaroni. Add to leek mixture in skillet; mix lightly. Spoon into 3-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle crumb mixture.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.