Bacon Pimento Mac and Cheese

Ultra creamy & gooey! Southern pimento mac and cheese is loaded with bacon. If you love pimento cheese you've got to try this recipe.

Course Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 45

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 809kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
¼ cup butter
½ cup diced onion
½ cup all purpose flour
4 cups evaporated milk
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons hot sauce
8 ounces cream cheese softened and cubed
4 ounces diced pimentos
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided use
¾ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided use
1 pound macaroni cooked and drained
⅓ cup crushed Cheez It crackers
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 °F.
Grease a 13×9 inch casserole dish or spray with non-stick spray.
Add the bacon to a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Cook until crispy.
Remove bacon from pan, leaving bacon grease, and set aside.
Add ¼ cup butter to the bacon grease in the skillet and whisk until melted.
Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes, until clumpy.
Slowly whisk in the milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 3 minutes.
Season the mixture generously with salt and pepper, smoked paprika and hot sauce.
Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it melts.
,Add the pimentos and bacon.
Stir in 1 ½ cups cheddar and ½ cup Monterey Jack.
Stir the mixture all together until smooth.
Add to the pasta and stir until well combined.
Add mixture to the casserole dish.
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with crushed Cheezits and the remaining ¼ cup cheddar and ¼ cup Jack.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Notes

Store:

You can store leftover bacon pimento mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Just be sure to let it cool down first.

Reheat leftovers in a 350-degree F oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. You can also use the microwave to warm individual portions.

Mac and cheese reheats well, but be aware that the Cheez-It topping might get a little softer as it sits. To fix this, I just crush a handful of Cheez-Its overtop after reheating, and voila!

Tips:

- Don't overcook your pasta. It'll continue to soften just a little bit in the oven, so undercooking it by a minute or so ('til al dente) is fine.
- Start your bacon in the largest skillet you have. You'll make the cheese sauce in the same pan and don't want it to spill out.
- Double-check the can before dumping it in: you want to use evaporated milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk.
- Whisk the milk constantly after adding it to the pan

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