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Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 8
- 10 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ c all-purpose flour
- 1 14 oz can vegetable broth
- 3 c whole milk
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 4 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1½ c dried elbow macaroni, cooked
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Cut the bacon strips into quarters. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Then remove to paper towels and allow to drain.
- Add a little oil to the pan if needed, then add the onion. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onion is soft and lightly browned, about another5 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix well. Cook for 2 mintues. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Then add the milk, chili powder, pepper and mustard.
- Return the soup to a simmer while stirring occasionally. Cook for 3 minutes. Add cheese and bacon and continue cooking and stirring until well blended, about 4 minutes. Add the macaroni and return to a simmer. Remove from heat and serve with parsley garnish.
I have been on the hunt for a the homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. Before I began this blog I made a number of homemade macaroni and cheese recipes. A couple were easily better than the others but nothing that made me say ‘That is the recipe I’ve been searching for.’ So when I found this recipe in The Nest I was excited for yet another attempt to find it.
To get things started, I burnt the garlic and onion right off so I had to toss them and start over. Because you know, once you burn something it has to go and the pan has to be cleaned out otherwise the burnt taste lingers and the whole rest of the dish tastes burnt hence ruining it.
Now I did use pre-cooked bacon so I got to skip the first few steps. I just heated it in the microwave and added it when the recipe said. Doing that did help shave some time off. Plus I’ve never been good cooking up raw bacon. Never turns out right, but that’s another story.
Anyway, when all was said and done, I served the dish. I took two bites and couldn’t finish it. My dear husband, as I’ve noted before, cleaned the bowl. But he did not ask for seconds or leftovers, which is not the norm. So needless to say, this was not the recipe either.