Grown-up Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Step 2

Cook pasta according to package directions. When it has finished cooking, save a cup of pasta water for later.

Step 3

While the pasta is cooking, add bacon to a large pan and cook over medium-high heat until it's crispy. When it's done, remove it from the pan and drain the grease or sop it up with a paper towel.

Step 4

Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and add 4 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Let it melt, then add 1 tablespoon of thyme, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 1 tablespoon of sage, and all of the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the herb and garlic mixture for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so nothing burns.

Step 5

Add cream, salt, and black pepper to the pan and let it simmer and thicken for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1.5 cups of gruyere and 1.5 cups of parmesan (reserving half a cup of each for later). Cook until the cheese has melted. If the sauce is too thick, then gradually add some of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. It should be the same consistency as other cream-based pasta sauces (like alfredo sauce).

Step 6

Once the sauce has reached your desired consistency, add the cooked pasta and bacon to the pan and stir to combine. Then add the pasta/sauce mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish.

Step 7

In a clean pan, combine the panko and the remaining butter, thyme, rosemary, and sage. Cook it until the butter is melted and everything is combined, a couple of minutes.

Step 8

Add the breadcrumb mixture and the rest of the gruyere and parmesan to the top of the casserole dish. Then place the casserole dish into the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the top is toasted and golden-brown.