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
Method:
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