Smoky bacon folded through extra-cheesy mac, broiled golden

≈ $8.43/serving$8.94at the cheapest of your stores this week · 7 ingredients on sale

Ingredients

• macaroni200 g
• bacon6 strips
• cheddar cheese2½ cups, grated
• whole milk2 cups
• butter2 tbsp
• all purpose flour3 tbsp
• frozen peas1 cup
• panko1/2 cup

Method

1Crisp the bacon

• •Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
• •Cook it in a large pot over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes until crisp.
• •Lift the bacon onto paper towel, leaving 1 tbsp of the fat in the pot.

2Boil the pasta

• •Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• •Cook the macaroni 7 to 8 minutes until just shy of tender, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes.
• •Drain well.

3Make the cheese sauce

• •Add the butter to the bacon pot over medium heat.
• •Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute.
• •Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth.
• •Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, whisking often, until it coats the back of a spoon.
• •Remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheddar until melted.
• •Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4Broil the top

• •Heat the broiler.
• •Fold the drained macaroni, peas and most of the bacon through the sauce.
• •Scrape into a baking dish.
• •Top with the remaining cheddar, the panko and the last of the bacon.
• •Broil 2 to 4 minutes until golden and bubbling.

5Plate

• •Rest 3 minutes.
• •Scoop into two bowls and serve hot.