Baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese (with Bacon)

• 6 strips bacon
• 2 oz (1/2 a stick) butter
• 2 oz (by weight) flour (about 1/3 c)
• 1 medium onion, diced (or 2-3 scallions, diced, or 2 medium leeks, sliced thin)
• salt
• 1 lb dry pasta, macaroni, rotini, or similar
• 2 c milk, cream, and/or half and half
• nutmeg
• 3-4 c shredded cheese (any kind)
• 2 c (approx) cracker or bread crumbs

Cook bacon, crumble or chop into small pieces, set aside. Fill large part 3/4 with water, salt generously and set on heat to boil for pasta.

Melt butter in saucier or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion (or other alium) and a dash of salt. Cook 3-4 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add flour, cook another 3-4 minutes. Add milk (all or part of the milk may be replaced with cream or half-and-half for richer sauce) and a dash of nutmeg. Bring up to heat but DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Turn heat down to low as soon as it thickens. Add cheese in batches, stirring until it all melts. The sauce can be maintained until needed at this point, just by stirring occasionally.

Once water is boiling for pasta, cook for about 2 minutes less than the time given on the package. Drain. Place all pasta in a 13 x9 inch baking dish.

Add half the chopped bacon to the sauce, then pour over the pasta. Gently stir the sauce into the pasta and spread evenly in the baking dish.

Add the other half of the chopped bacon to the cracker or bread crumbs, mix. A lot of recipes say to use panko. Sure. I just crush a tube full of Ritz crackers and call it good. Evenly spread the crumbs over the pasta.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done because the sauce will be bubbling at the sides and the edges will be just a little brown.

Let rest a few minutes before eating.

You can do the same recipe almost exactly with leftover cooked chicken breast or pork chop, cut into chunks. Just mix in with the pasta and don’t bother with adding anything to the crumbs on top.

Picture below is from a batch with pulled pork mixed in with the cheese.

Lasagna

This is the family lasagna recipe, which has always received rave reviews at potlucks. My mom got it from the old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook from the 70s. You can use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese, but I didn’t like the texture when I did. Too smooth. I almost always use “hot” sausage, but Italian is just as good.

Ingredients:

Tomato/meat sauce

• 1 lb ground sausage, country, Italian, or hot.
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbs dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 15 oz can of tomatoes
• 2 6 oz cans of tomato paste (or 1 12 oz)

Noodles

• 10 oz lasagna noodles (11-12 noodles), standard, not “oven ready”
• 1 tbs salt
• 2 tbs oil

Cheese mixture

• 2 eggs
• 3 c cottage cheese, small curd (old fashioned if you can find it)
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbs parsley flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

And cheese

• 1 lb thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

Fill a large pot with water, 1 tbs salt, 2 tbs oil. Bring to a boil. I recommend a back burner for this one- you’ll need the front for the meat sauce.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet, drain the fat from it. Add the garlic, basil, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and all the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

During this time, the water will come to a boil. Add the noodles one at a time, bending gently if necessary to fit inside the pot. Cook according to the time given on the package, stirring occasionally, to ensure noodles aren’t sticking to the bottom or each other. When the noodles are done, drain, then fill the pot with cold water and slip the noodles back in. Swish around, then drain again. Refill the pot one more time with cold water and return the noodles to the pot. Set aside until everything else is ready.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add cottage cheese, parsley, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate if other ingredients are not yet ready.

When noodles and tomato sauce are both ready, then get out a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Begin with a layer of noodles- remove each noodle one at a time, run between fingers to remove excess water, then lay in the bottom of the pan. Overlap the edges. 5 1/2-6 noodles should cover. Feel free to tear noodles if needed to fit.

Spread half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Cover with half the mozzarella cheese. Spread half the tomato and meat sauce over the cheese.

Then, the second layer of noodles, using all that remains. Then the second half of the cottage cheese, the second half of the mozzarella, and lastly the second half of the tomato and meat sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375. You can also assemble ahead of time and refrigerate, then bake for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

By the way, you can make a pretty good vegetarian lasagna by just substituting a couple cups of baby spinach and a cup of chopped mushrooms for the sausage.