Tasty Tuesdays: Grown Up Mac & Cheese

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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I'm a huge fan of homemade mac & cheese.  It's the perfect comfort food if you ask me.  My absolute favorite mac & cheese is made at a local restaurant, The Greenwell.  I've had it many, many times and get serious cravings for it.  If you are ever in Grand Rapids, do yourself a favor and order it. 

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Anyways, I love trying different mac & cheese recipes at home.  This one (while nothing like The Greenwell's) was pretty good and easy to make.  Perfect comfort food for the cold spring we are having!  It was a little blander than I expected.  Next time I might replace one of the cheeses with something a little stronger.
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{ Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine, March 2011 }
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Ingredients:
- 12 ounces ziti (or similar shaped) pasta
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 4 ounces gruyère cheese, coarsely shredded
- 4 ounces Italian fontina cheese, coarsely shredded
- 2 ounces freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (optional; this is something I added, it wasn't in the original recipe)
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
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Preparation:
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1. Cook pasta according to the package directions.
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2. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
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3. Pour off all but 1 tbsp. fat from pan. Add flour and whisk over medium heat. Pour in milk 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition (it will be very thick at first) until incorporated and smooth. Add cheeses in 3 batches, whisking continually and making sure each batch is mostly melted before adding the next.
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4. Drain pasta, then stir into cheese sauce along with sun dried tomatoes (sauce will thicken upon standing). Divide pasta among individual bowls and top with bacon and chives.
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Now it's your turn...what did you cook this week?
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