Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb of pasta shells (or your choice of pasta)
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz smoked gouda, shredded
- 4 tbsp butter
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 C heavy cream
- 1 C milk
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- When pasta is done, drain it, reserving 1 C of pasta water.
- Return pasta to pot and add butter, cream cheese and pasta water.
- Heat over medium low heat until cream cheese has melted.
- Add shredded gouda cheese along with milk and heavy cream. Cook, stirring often over low heat until sauce thickens. If needed, you can add more milk to desired consistency.
- In a sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy then remove from pan, reserving 1/4 C bacon grease.
- Chop bacon up into small pieces.
- Using an oven safe 4 qt container, add bacon grease and rub sides to coat.
- Transfer mac and cheese to container and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped bacon.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: entrée
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 514.6 mg
- Fat: 23.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.7 g
- Protein: 13.5 g
- Cholesterol: 67 mg