Description
A creamy, cheesy pasta bake loaded with bacon, tomatoes, and plenty of cheddar, with just enough Parmesan to add depth. It’s the kind of dinner that’s easy to throw together, but tastes like you put in a lot more effort than you actually did.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pkt short pasta of choice, such as screws
- 1 pkt bacon
- Tomato slices, enough to cover the top
- 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated yellow cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra cheddar cheese for topping
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 cups warm milk
- 250 ml cream
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Fry 1 pkt bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until cooked and lightly browned, but don’t take it all the way to crispy. Drain on paper towel, then chop the bacon into small pieces. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pkt short pasta according to the package directions, but I’d take it off about 1 to 2 minutes early so it’s still slightly firm as it’ll continue cooking in the oven. Drain well and toss with a small amount of butter if needed to stop it sticking.
- Heat the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
- Melt 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add 4 tbsp flour and whisk for about 1 minute, just until the flour is cooked into the butter. Don’t let it brown.
- Slowly whisk in 2 cups warm milk, adding it gradually so the sauce stays smooth.
- Add 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese, 1 cup grated yellow cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheeses are mostly melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Stir in 250 ml cream. Return the saucepan to low heat just long enough to warm the sauce through, stirring gently. Don’t let it boil, or the cheese sauce can become oily or grainy.
- Add the cooked 1 pkt short pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until well coated.
- Fold in the chopped bacon, making sure it’s spread through the pasta rather than sitting in one big bacon pile.
- Lightly grease a casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon in the pasta mixture and spread it out evenly.
- Arrange the tomato slices over the top, then season the tomatoes lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle extra cheddar cheese generously over the tomatoes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 320⁰F (160⁰C) and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the pasta is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
- If you want a little more colour on top, increase the oven temperature for the last few minutes and keep a close eye on it.
- Let the pasta bake sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. It gives the sauce a chance to settle, and it’ll be much easier to scoop.
