Monday, December 10, 2012

Three Cheese Balsamic Pancetta Mac n Cheese

Three Cheese Balsamic Pancetta Mac n Cheese
Picture from navywifecook
Image Credit Mercedes



Three Cheese Balsamic Pancetta Mac n Cheese

“I loooove Mac n Cheese, and I've been on the hunt for the perfect homemade Mac n Cheese recipe for just about forever. My favorite recipe? The blue box. Yep...I love me some Kraft Mac n Cheese, and I am not ashamed to say it!” Mercedes

Ingredients:

2 packages of thinly sliced pancetta (3 ounces each)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, separated

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 ½ cups whole milk, warmed

½ cup half and half, warmed

6 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded

4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded

2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

10 ounces cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta

Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400°F.

Place a large pot of water (for the pasta) over high heat and cover.

 Roll up the pancetta slices and slice into strips with a sharp knife.

In a large pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta strips until just starting to crisp, about 3-4 
minutes, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar over the pancetta and stir.

Allow the cooked pancetta to drain on a paper towel and set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

 When the butter has melted, whisk in the 4 tablespoons of flour.

Continue to cook and whisk the flour for about 30 seconds.

Add the rosemary and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.

Slowly pour in the warmed milk and half and half, continue to whisk continuously so that there 
are no lumps.

Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, stirring constantly.

While waiting for the sauce to simmer, liberally salt the pot of boiling water.

Add the pasta to the water and cook for about a minute less than package directions.

When the sauce has come to a simmer, stir in the 6 ounces of Gouda, and the fontina cheese 
until melted and the sauce is smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, or more if you want a 
more pronounced flavor.

 Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the cooked pasta and stir into the cheese sauce until combined.

Pour the macaroni mixture into a 13x9 baking dish, and sprinkle with half of the smoked Gouda.

Top with the cooked pancetta and then the remaining smoked Gouda.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the cheese is bubbly. If the pancetta 
starts to get too dark, cover with a piece of aluminum foil.

Serve hot.

You can combine this excellent recipe with some others from our collection.

Enjoy this recipe and many more when visiting navywifecook

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