The sauce in this Southern mac and cheese is truly perfect, but feel free to play around with the meat you use! Just be sure that you’re putting cooked meat into the pasta when you bake it.
See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan, then the breadcrumbs, and then top with the optional jalapeño slices. Toss the sauce with elbow macaroni that is cooked to less than al dente, and then transfer the coated pasta to a baking dish.
Stir in the cooked bacon and the three freshly shredded cheeses to make the creamy cheesy jalapeño sauce. Whisk until it reaches an even consistency, then stir in the spices. Slowly pour the milk in while whisking constantly. Sauté the jalapeños and garlic in butter until the jalapeños are a bit softened and the garlic is aromatic.Īdd the flour and whisk it with the butter until it forms an even roux. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.) Start by sautéing the sliced bacon pieces until they’re crispy. Ingredientsįor this recipe you’ll need elbow macaroni, bacon, butter, jalapeños, garlic, flour, milk, buffalo hot sauce (I used Frank’s RedHot Original), onion powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and panko breadcrumbs. The 3 cheeses that go well together for mac and cheese are cheddar (sharp cheddar or white cheddar are best), mozzarella, and parmesan.Ĭheddar gives you the classic mac and cheese flavor, mozzarella has that stretchy melted quality that makes the texture amazing, and parmesan adds the salty umami flavor. What Is The Best Tasting Cheese For Mac And Cheese? The best spices to spice up your mac and cheese are garlic powder, onions powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, buffalo hot sauce, and truffle salt.Īdding a little bit of just a few of your favorites can go a long way in elevating a basic mac and cheese to something truly special. This … What Spices Can I Add To Mac And Cheese?