Bacon-Pepper Mac and Cheese

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked penne pasta (10 oz)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 10 slices packaged precooked bacon (from 2.1-oz package), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
• 4 oz Muenster cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 2 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from bettycrocker.com

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat oven to 350°. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2 Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon butter in small bowl. Stir bell pepper and onions into butter in saucepan. Increase heat to medium; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in bacon and pasta.

3 Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted. Pour into casserole. Stir bread crumbs into melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.

4 Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are bubbly.

Expert Tips:
You can use elbow macaroni in place of the penne. You can also use Swiss cheese instead of the Gruyère, although Gruyère has a more pronounced nutty flavor than regular Swiss.

Look for packages of precooked bacon near regular bacon at your grocery store.

1 Serving: Calories 1010