Spicy Smoky Macaroni and Cheese with Turkey Bacon
33 Reviews- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 35 min
- Ready In: 45 min
“This is my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe. You can adjust the amounts of paprika, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper to suit your tastes. I like spicy food so the recipe as it is written is spicy.” - by PureIce23
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
Original recipe yields 6 servings
Directions
- Bring a large pot with lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Stir in the shell pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the turkey bacon strips between two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cook in the microwave on High until the bacon is crispy, 4 to 6 minutes depending on the microwave. Allow the bacon to cool; crumble and set aside.
- Once the pasta has cooked and is draining, combine the processed cheese, cream, and half-and-half in the pot that was used to cook the pasta. Cook and stir over medium heat until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in the paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and crumbled turkey bacon. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce until evenly coated.
Nutrition
Amount Per Serving (6 total)
- Calories
- 747 cal
- 37%
- Fat
- 41.4 g
- 64%
- Carbs
- 64 g
- 21%
Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
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Reviews (33)
Rate This Recipe
"I made this mac and cheese as written only changing the turkey bacon for real bacon. My only reason for using real bacon is because I prefer it over turkey bacon. Excellent! I found it to be creamy wi..." See moreth just the right amount of spice. Thanks for posting because it is a great mac and cheese!"
TeaFor2
"I made this mac and cheese on New Year's Eve as a side dish to a BBQ chicken recipe I have. My guests as well as myself thought that it was very flavorful with a wonderful creaminess. I didn't find it..." See more to be overly spicy as written so I added a bit more ground red pepper and a dash of liquid smoke in addition to the smoked paprika. I did not add the turkey bacon into the mac and cheese itself. Instead I let the bacon cool completely then put it in my food processor on "grind" until it had the consistancy of bread crumbs then sprinkled it on top. When making mac and cheese, I usually use a mix of cheddar and American cheese but I thought that the Velveeta melted wonderfully and made this mac and cheese extremely smooth and creamy. I will definitely be making this again, perhaps for the Superbowl!"
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