Mac & Cheese with Kale and Bacon, doesn’t get any better than that, right? Mac and cheese takes me right back to my childhood. However, my mom used the blue box when I was growing up, of course. This is more of a grown up version that the whole family will love!
It comes together fairly quickly too. On this particular day, I made it in between games of a soccer tournament. Gotta feed the hungry players, right? You can use any pasta shape you like, I used cellentani. I love the thick spirals, they really hold on to any sauce you drench them in. Also, you can use pre-shredded cheese, I have in the past, but nothing beats freshly grated cheese. It melts smoother and stays creamier. Just do it!
Cook the pasta noodles as you’re shredding the cheese, that way you can set them aside and focus on the sauce. You don’t want to burn its gloriousness! I also like to throw the chopped kale in during the last couple of minutes of cooking the pasta. It helps to soften and cook a bit of the rawness out of it.
Once it’s all done, serve it hot in bowls with a sprinkle of extra cheese and the bacon crumbles on top. You can certainly mix the bacon crumbles into the mac, but they tend to get a little softer due to the sauce. Be like me, sprinkle them on top, because I like them to stay extra crispy.
If you want to get extra fancy, add the finished mac to an oven safe dish and top with a breadcrumb topping. Pop into the oven until it’s golden and bubbly.
Mac & Cheese with Kale & Bacon
Mac & Cheese grown up style. It's creamy and rich with a smoky bite.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, yellow, diced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup colby jack, shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups kale, chopped
- 12 oz pasta, I used cellentani, cooked
- 6 slices vegetarian bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
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Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. During the last couple of minutes, add the chopped kale. Drain the pasta/kale and set aside while you make the cheese sauce.
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Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened.
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Add the cream cheese and half and half and whisk until the cream cheese is smooth. Add the milk, sharp cheddar and colby jack and whisk until the cheeses are melted.
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Stir in the garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of milk if the sauce is too thick. Pour the cheese sauce over the drained pasta and stir.
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Scoop into bowls and top with extra cheese and the crumbled bacon. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
If you want to get extra fancy, add the finished mac to a baking dish and top with a breaded topping. Pop in the oven to brown the topping and then serve.
