Tomato Bacon Mac and Cheese

It is a constant challenge in my kitchen to make the perfect mac and cheese. I love the creamy and cheesy sauce, not the dry baked style. It is pure joy when the mac and cheese that I have ordered at a restaurant arrives in that perfect creamy style, but utter disappointment when the dry and baked version shows up.

I tried to re-create the creamy texture that I love in this recipe, plus I figured adding spicy tomatoes and bacon couldn't hurt.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
3/4 tablespoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups pasta cooked
1 can Rotel Hot
4 strips bacon, diced and cooked

1. Melt the butter over medium high heat
2. Add the minced onion and cook until tender
3. Add dry seasoning and flour, cook flour through
4. Whisk in milk slowly and allow to thicken, typically 5 minutes of cooking
5. Add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, stir until completely smooth
6. Mix in the cooked pasta and stir pasta through
7. Pour pasta into a baking dish and sprinkle with bacon and drained Rotel
8. Top with remaining cheese
9. Put in the oven at 350 degrees just to let the cheese melt and get bubbly

While this isn't the ultimate mac and cheese, it gets pretty close to it! The bacon and Rotel adds a great kick and crunch to the dish. It is surprisingly quick and easy to make after a long day, especially when you just want a big bowl of comfort food.