Asparagus and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

By EdieK

Ingredients

• 4 pieces thick cut bacon
• 1/2 large purple onion
• 1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and woody parts removed
• 1 lb pasta of choice (I used Campanelle noodles)
• 1 tsp minced garlic, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk (or half&half or heavy cream)
• freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
• 3 cups shredded cheese mixture, I used aged sharp white cheddar cheese and extremely sharp white cheddar cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from goodlifeeats.com

Preparation

Step 1

Start out by cooking the bacon over medium high heat in a skillet, turning every couple minutes until bacon is fully cooked. Remove onto a paper towel to drain excess fat. Reserve the fat in the skillet.

At the same time, cook pasta according to package directions, stopping just shy of al dente.

Cut up veggies while bacon is cooking. Chop purple onion thinly, and once asparagus is washed and woody ends are removed, cut in half, so it will be more manageable to bite into.

Once the asparagus is cut in half, cook in the same skillet with the bacon fat over medium high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Cook for about 5 minutes, and then add garlic and onion. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking until onions are translucent, roughly 5-10 minutes.

Add flour, stir around for a minute, and add milk, cream, half&half or any mixture of the three (I used only whole milk). Add in all the seasonings at this point: salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir slightly and allow to thicken up a bit.

Drain pasta once it is ready and set aside until needed.

Once the milk and veggie mixture is thickened, stir in the cheese until it is all melted, and then pour entire mixture over the pasta and stir until combined.

Serve warm and store any remaining pasta in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat. Reheat in microwave or oven on a low temperature until heated through.