Brussel Sprouts and Bacon Mac and Cheese

I found myself in the middle of my favorite grocery store staring aimlessly at the shelves of food....Trying to find some dinner inspiration. I had a bag a brussel sprouts in the fridge and 4 kids who didn't want to eat them. Naturally, Bacon seemed like the best remedy to this situation, and if we are going for the low hanging fruit of solutions...add cheese and pasta to that list. BOOM! Mac and Cheese.  

Ingredients:

1 lb macaroni (I like to use a large macaroni shaped conchiglie)

1 lbs bacon

4 cups Brussel sprouts, stemmed and halved or quartered depending on size.

1 onion diced

2 1/2 Tbs Butter

2 1/2 Tbs Flour

2 1/2 cups milk

3 cups Mozzarella 

1 1/2 cups smoked gouda 

-

1/2 loaf french bread

4 tbs butter

Directions:

preheat oven to 350.

1) Prepare macaroni as the package directs. Making sure to salt the water. Drain the cooked macaroni. Set aside.

2) Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces and brown in a large skillet over medium heat. When bacon is crispy, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels and reserve for later.

3) Pour the excess grease from the skillet, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté the brussel sprouts and onions in the remaining bacon grease. Cook until brussel sprouts are tender and the onions are translucent. About 8- 10 min. Add bacon to the brussel sprouts and set aside.

4) In a medium saucepan, melt the butter (but do not brown it). Stir the flour into the melted butter until it is a smooth paste. 

5) Add the milk and stir with a whisk until it is blended with the flour....stir as the milk heats up. When the milk has thickened, and is almost at a boil, turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted.

6) In a 2 quart casserole dish pour in the macaroni, brussel sprout mixture and top with the cheese sauce, stir until it is all combined. 

7) *Optional*  Bread Crumb topping: 2 - 3 cups french bread cut into cubes. Toss in about 4 Tbs of butter. Sprinkle over top of macaroni and cheese. 

8) Place in oven on middle rack and bake for about 30 min...until bread crumbs are browned and mac and cheese is nice and bubbly (if it starts to brown too quickly... you can cover with tinfoil to stop the browning process)

Enjoy!