Food

Macaroni and Cheese with a Twist!

Every year, there is a fantastic event called A Taste of Yellow, hosted by Winos and Foodies. This is a food blogger event in support of LiveSTRONG Day, which is on May 13th this year. Each participant has to take a picture of some sort of yellow food, and include the LiveSTRONG wristband in the picture.

This year was the first time participating in the event, and because my father survived prostate cancer and my brother is fighting leukemia right now, I thought it would be more than appropriate for me to join in. I decided to make this macaroni and cheese recipe in support of my family. If you would like to read more about my family's battle with cancer, you can see the original post on my blog, SushiDay.com.

This is the most amazing macaroni and cheese I have ever had! It wasn’t too difficult to make, and even though it took a little while, I’ll definitely make it again. Yes, it’s that good. The red peppers and onions get soft enough to really melt in your mouth, and everyone knows I love bacon in just about anything. If you are making this for kids who are picky about vegetables, try using yellow bell peppers instead of red. They will blend in with the cheese so the kids won’t be able to see them, and there are no weird textures that a child might be put off by.

Ingredients

• 2 cups macaroni elbows
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1½ cups milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose Flour
• 1 slice bread, crumbled
• green onions, chopped, for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Salt generously, add a tsp of oil and then add the pasta.
3. Stir and cook for about 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.
4. Drain pasta and set aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan.
6. Add the onions and bell pepper.
7. Saute for a few minutes until onions and peppers are soft.
8. Microwave milk for about a minute, so it is hot but not boiling.
9. Add the flour to the vegetables and stir continuously until vegetables are coated and the flour no longer looks white.
10. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes.
11. Slowly stir in the hot milk.
12. Preheat oven to 450F.
13. Turn off stove-top heat.
14. Stir in the salt, pepper and the shredded cheese.
15. Stir in the cooked pasta and bacon, and toss to coat evenly.
16. Transfer to a 9"x13" baking dish and spread to form an even layer.
17. Top with the bread crumbs and a handful of shredded cheese.
18. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs have browned. Let sit for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions.