BLT Mac n Cheese

Happy Easter!  Since my daughter turns six this month and we'll be hosting a big family party later in April, we are going to my parent's house to celebrate Easter. Unfortunately, being pretty new to the blogging world, I don't have any previous Easter recipes.  So, I am posting a dinner recipe from a couple of weeks ago.

 C'mon, who doesn't love mac and cheese?!!  and bacon?!  I LOVE bacon!  Recently when I made my son boxed mac and cheese (one of those days when I just couldn't think about cooking!) he told me that it was "the best dinner ever!"  But of course when I made this homemade mac and cheese with bacon he barely ate any of it....go figure!  I really am not a fan of warm tomatoes and wasn't going to add them, but I figured I might as well try them and give my kids a chance to see if they like them.....they didn't.  I also didn't make the romaine salad, so technically, my Mac n Cheese was missing thte L part.  I usually go shopping at the end of the week for the next week.  I didn't want to buy the lettuce too early and meant to go back to the store the day of making this to buy some....but I forgot.  I don't think that this dish could have been bad because bacon makes everything taste good!  I thought it was different with the addition of the cream cheese.  But it wasn't the most amazing mac and cheese I've had.  It does require a bit of prep time and then another twenty minutes of cooking, so definitely not a quick weeknight meal, but can be doable if you get home early enough and can get some other stuff done during the cook time.

BLT Mac n Cheese
EveryDay with Rachael Ray, June 2011

Yield:  4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces fusilli pasta
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
6 ounces cream cheese
2 cups finely shredded orange cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
6 ounces cherry tomatoes quartered (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; drain.

2.Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until almost al dente; drain. In the same pot, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat; whisk in the turmeric and stir in the cream cheese. Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted. Add the pasta, bacon and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the yogurt and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce and toss to coat. Serve the salad with the pasta.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.