3 cheese bacon mac & cheese

hi y'all! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I know I am- this is my favorite time of the year! The only downside is my schedule gets so crazy I don't have nearly as much time to cook and blog as I would like to so I'm so excited to finally be getting this recipe up for y'all. As you may have seen from previous posts I participate  in a monthly recipe swap club where I select another blogger's recipe to try out and share with all of you. I'm having so much fun being a part of this club as I get to expand my network and share extra recipes with you that I may not have thought of myself! This month I worked from Mom Noms blog. I truly loved reading through mom noms because fun fact: she is also a bay area based foodie! Hey neighbor! I had a hard time selecting what I wanted to make but I eventually landed on her bacon mac & cheese recipe because let's get real, I could always use more bacon and cheese in my life. 

I'm glad I went with the bacon mac, because it was delicious! I am making a couple small tweaks in quantities of a few ingredients as there was a little too much seasoning added to the cheese for my personal taste, but it was still the bomb. I encourage you to check out the original recipe here! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbs of butter
• 2 Tbs flour 
• 2 Cups of Milk
• 1/2 Cup gouda, shredded
• 1/2 Cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 Cup parmesan, shredded or grated
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 2 cups water

• cups dry macaroni noodles
• 1/4 panko
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 Tbs pepper
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook bacon, chop into crumbles, and set aside. I baked the bacon per original recipe, 350' and bake until crispy (about 15-20 minutes). You could just as easily fry it up or cook however you prefer.
   
2. Add butter to a medium / large sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk until you have an even creamy golden consistency.
   
3. Add in the milk, continue whisking to make sure the butter/flour mix is evenly stirred throughout.
   
4. Add in all cheeses + seasonings. (gouda, cheddar, parmesan, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder + onion powder).
   
5. Stir until evenly combined, reduce heat to low to let simmer.
   
6. Preheat oven to 350' (if you didn't already have it on from cooking the bacon)
7. Add your water and pasta to a separate sauce pan and bring to a boil - cook until pasta is soft and all water is absorbed. Add in more water if necessary, but two cups should do it.  
8. Add your boiled pasta + chopped bacon to the cheese mix and stir it all up. 
9. Transfer your bacon mac & cheese to a oven safe dish, top with panko, and bake 10 minutes. (Note, this step is optional, but it will give you that nice golden crunch on top). 
10. Serve up and enjoy!