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    Shrimp, Bacon and Jalapeno Mac and Cheese

    March 2, 2015

    MAc n cheese cover

     

     Cheesy, creamy and savory- what better meal to have on a snow day? I’ll go ahead and say right now the secret to a good batch of mac and cheese is- DUN NA NA. . the cheese. That and a good solid bechemel. Once you get your bechemel recipe down, your mac and cheese options are LIMITLESS.

    Bechemel is also known as “white sauce” and is roux-based, meaning it’s made with butter and flour. My favorite and go to Bechemel “recipe” comes from the “Mac’n’Cheese” cookbook, by Laura Washburn.

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    This book was a little day prize from my sweetie, and while I’ve never actually made any of the exact recipes from this book, I love to look through it for ideas and the food styling and photography is amazing and inspiring. If you’ve never made mac and cheese from scratch- this book is a must have for you!.

    mac prep 1ALWAYS use freshly grated/shredded cheese. Do not use pre-shredded, in the bag cheese.  Pre-grated cheese is always dryer, doesn’t melt as well and often has some form of preservatives in it causing it’s melted texture to differ as well.

    Here you can see I used fresh grated medium Cheddar and Pepper Jack. I had left over bacon in the fridge- so I decided to toss that in too. I always buy shrimp that’s NOT pre-cooked. I  feel the texture and flavor is so much more fresh than pre-cooked. Yes, it takes a little longer but I think the end results are well worth it. (I know the pictured shrimp are pink- making it seem like they are cooked. However, this particular type of shrimp are red prior to cooking, not grey.)

    mac prep 2For this recipe, I de-veined and de-shelled all the shrimp in the bag, and sauteed them with some olive oil, Old Bay and the jalapenos. I only used 1 1/2 cups of the cooked shrimp for this mac and cheese and saved the rest for lunch this week.

    mac-shrimpAnd with the most magical ingredient of all time. BACON.

    Scrimps and BaconFTW:

    Mac and Cheese Hot outta the OvenOkay,

    Shrimp, Bacon and Jalapeno Mac and Cheese
    Serves 8
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    Total Time
    1 hr
    Total Time
    1 hr
    Ingredients
    1. 3 1/2 Tbsp butter
    2. 6 Tbsp flour
    3. 2 1/2 c almond milk (here you can use regular milk if you'd like)
    4. 2 Tbsp dijon
    5. 1 Tbsp minced garlic
    6. 1 jalapeno, chopped
    7. 4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
    8. 1 1/2 c shrimp, cooked and chopped
    9. 1 1/2 c fresh shredded cheddar cheese
    10. 1 1/2 c Pepper Jack cheese
    11. 1 lb elbow macaroni
    12. 1/3 c bread crumbs
    13. 1/2 shredded cheese for topping the macaroni
    Instructions
    1. Start with cooking your pasta, according to the directions on the box.
    2. Saute your cleaned shrimp with the chopped jalapenos, some olive oil and Old Bay seasoning.
    3. Cook bacon to your liking, and chop.
    4. In a sauce pan, melt the butter whisking in the flour to create the beginning of your bechemel.
    5. Whisk in your milk, stirring continuously until it begins to thicken into a sauce.
    6. Add your mustard and garlic.
    7. Remove from heat and whisk in the shredded cheeses. These should melt fairly quickly because of the heat from the bechemel.
    8. Stir in your bacon, shrimp and jalapeno.
    9. Pour into a casserole dish, or cast iron skillet. (This held the 1 lb of pasta perfectly).
    10. Top mac and cheese with remaining 1/2 c of shedded cheese and the bread crumbs.
    11. Broil on high for approximately 10 minutes or until bread crumbs begin to brown.
    Notes
    1. If you like it a bit spicier, feel free to add more jalapenos, or do all Pepper jack cheese and leave out the cheddar.
    Big Hair and Foodie Fare https://bighairandfoodiefare.com/
     Mac and Cheese

    This dish is perfect for a cold winter day, and makes a ton of left overs! (WINNING! Y’all know how I love my left overs.) We’ll all just have to do a little extra cardio this week. . .eh?

    Enjoy! Kelli