Do you ever plan on making a certain dish for dinner, find out that you are missing an important ingredient, and end up making something completely different? For me, that happens all the time. I either completely space it on getting a crucial ingredient, or one of the ingredients has unfortunately turned before I could cook it. (I’d rather be safe than sorry, when it comes to spoiled meat.) That is exactly what happened the night I first made this Baked Penne Mac and Cheese.
I ended up making this on the fly for dinner when I discovered that the sausage that I was planning to use that night had gone bad. Looking through the fridge and cabinets to see what ingredients I had, I realized that I could make this perfectly baked pasta and cheese. If you are craving a rich and scrumptious cheesy baked pasta dish, then you should make this recipe asap.
How To Make Baked Penne Mac and Cheese:
To make this dish, you will want to cook the pasta until just al dente. Do not over cook the pasta because it will continue to cook in the oven. Using the bacon grease to cook the onion and garlic, you will then add butter and flour, and slowly whisk in milk to make a roux. Once that cream sauce is smooth and thickened, you will add all the cheese until fully melted and smooth. Mix the cheese sauce with the cooked, and drained noodles.
I used a variety of cheeses – 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, and 1 cup shredded italian cheeses. A combination of freshly shredded mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheeses made up the italian cheese blend that I used. Feel free to grab a pre-shredded mix from the grocery store, although I prefer the texture and flavor of freshly shredded, which also melts more evenly.
There are two ways you can cook the bacon. First, you could chop into small pieces while raw and pan fry until crispy. Or cook the slices whole and chop after frying till crispy. I usually prefer to chop the bacon beforehand, but will save a couple of pieces to cook whole and snack on while the pasta bakes.
How to Store Baked Penne Mac and Cheese:
Feel free to prep the pasta dish ahead of time, seal with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. After cooking, wrap with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will keep a bit longer if stored in an air tight storage container. For best results, reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. You can also reheat this in the oven, but it is likely to dry out a bit in the oven.
Since this recipe does not call for a full pound of bacon, you can order the specific amount needed from the meat counter at the grocery store. This could save you a couple of bucks. Of course, you could always snack on the extra bacon while cooking, as is the home cook’s right.
Recipe Step-by-Step
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Chop 8 oz. of bacon. Fry in a pan over medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan until crispy. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 1 tbsp. of bacon grease in pan.
- Saute 1 diced onion in the pan with the remaining bacon grease and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp. butter, and 4 cloves of minced garlic to the pan, and cook for 1 minute more. Sprinkle in 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. flour, cook for 1 more minute.
- Slowly mix in 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream, until there are no lumps remaining.
- Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese, and 4 oz. cream cheese and mix until melted. Turn off heat.
- Boil noodles until just al dente, about 8 minutes. As mentioned above, do not overcook the noodles, because they will continue to cook in the oven. Strain the noodles.
- Chop the tomatoes in half. Mix into the pasta with the bacon and cheese sauce, and pour everything into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the cheesy pasta.
- Bake the pasta in oven at 375° for 30 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
How many people can this feed?
This dish makes a hearty 6 main course servings. If served as a side dish, this cheesy baked pasta is stretched even further.
Be prepared for a pasta recipe that helps define comfort food. Super rich, it does pair well with a light salad. Feel free to skip the healthy component and just go all the way and dish up a heaping pile of this perfectly salty and creamy penne mac and cheese with savory bacon and bites of fresh tomato.
Baked Penne Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Penne Pasta
- 8 oz. Bacon
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 2 tbsp. Flour
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Cream (or Half and Half)
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Italian Cheese (see above notes) shredded
- 4 oz. Cream Cheese
- 10 oz. Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Fry bacon in pan over medium-high heat in large non-stick pan until crispy. Set aside on paper towel lined plate. Reserve 1 tbsp. of bacon grease in pan.
- Add onion to pan with the remaining bacon grease and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add butter, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add salt and flour, cook for 1 more minute.
- Slowly mix in milk and cream, until there are no lumps remaining.
- Add all cheese except for 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and mix until melted. Turn off heat.
- Boil noodles until just al dente, about 8 minutes. (They will continue to cook in the oven.) Strain the noodles.
- Chop the bacon. Add the cheese sauce, tomatoes, and bacon to the cooked pasta. Mix to combine. Pour into greased 9×13 pan.
- In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, and olive oil. Sprinkle on top of cheesy pasta.
- Bake in oven at 375° for 30 minutes.
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