Think mac & cheese couldn’t get better? Think again! Chef Devan Rajkumar dresses up this classic dish with bacon, asparagus, and more.

Grown-up mac & cheese

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cavatappi pasta (corkscrew)
• 1 cup purple cauliflower florets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs

Ingredients for the cheese sauce:

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 asparagus stalks, blanched and shocked, cut into 1” slices on a bias
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato, sliced
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp dijon
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 2 ½ cups 2% milk
• 3 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
• ½ lb. smoked bacon, finely diced
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 380 °F.

Boil pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in olive oil, salt and pepper.

In a sauce pan on medium heat, cook bacon and render out the fat, cook until golden brown and remove to paper towel.

In a medium sized pot, melt the butter, then add all dry ingredients for sauce and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and stir for 8 to 10 minutes, as sauce will thicken.

Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower florets for 2 minutes and put aside. Remove sauce from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheese. Add asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and cauliflower and fold gently.

Add cheese sauce to noodles and stir well. Gently fold in the cauliflower florets. Add mixture to a 9 x 13 pan and top with remaining cheese, then bake for 15 minutes.

Set oven to broil, top with bread crumbs and cook until golden brown. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Courtesy Devan Rajkumar
@chefdevan