This is the ultimate winter comfort food in my opinion. Bacon, curry, cheese – does it get any better? This recipe takes a little bit of prep time, but is so yummy it’s well worth it. It can also be assembled ahead of time and sit in the fridge until it’s time to cook it. And it makes great leftovers. I haven’t tried it, but a friend also suggested this would make great fried macaroni & cheese balls.
- 1/2 lb. or 8 slices of bacon
- 1 box pasta, cooked
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 3 c. half ‘n half or light cream
- 1 or 2 onions, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Curry Garlic Spice Rub
- 16 oz.+ shredded cheese (Be creative here! I like to blend Cheddar with Bacon & Smoked Gouda)
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 c. bread crumbs or panko (or try putting stale bread into the blender to make your own fresh crumbs)
Cook up the bacon and save 3 Tbsp of the bacon fat. My preferred way to easily cook this much bacon is to put it on a baking sheet and pop into a 420 degree oven for 11-16 minutes (depends on the thickness of the bacon). Chop each bacon strip into 1/2 inch slices.
Put the bacon fat (supplement with oil or butter if needed) in a pan and sauté the onions for about 20 minutes. This is a good time to also cook the pasta and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk the flour into a small bit of the half ‘n half to remove all lumps, then add all of the half ‘n half to the onions once cooked. Add the Curry Garlic Spice Rub and stir all together. Let simmer for 1-2 more minutes.
Transfer the pasta into a large casserole dish. Pour in the onion mixture and chopped bacon and stir. Set aside a some of the cheese (~1/3 c.). Add the remaining cheese to the casserole dish and blend well. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
In the same pan you cooked the onions, melt the butter (or use more bacon fat if you have it) and toss the breadcrumbs to coat them. Spread them evenly over the pasta mixture and cook uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you’ve prepped this beforehand and are pulling it out of the fridge, cook for 35-40 minutes.
When done, let cool for approx. 5 minutes.
