Tender Belly’s Bacon Mac N Cheese

Here’s a tasty twist on a classic dish. Tender Belly’s culinary team brings you mac n cheese with a classic Tender Belly addition, you guessed it, bacon!

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices of Tender Belly Signature Bacon
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 5 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (sharp)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chives (minced)
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • Prep Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Place bacon in skillet over medium heat. Cook, 6-8 minutes. Remove to plate to rest.

Melt the butter in skillet (same skillet as bacon, with bacon grease) over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly to make a “roux.”

Add milk and continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked macaroni and chives and fold together.

In serving bowls, top mac n cheese with bacon and breadcrumbs.

Get all these ingredients and more delivered in as little as 1 hour!

 

Who is Tender Belly?

Tender Belly was founded by two brothers from Iowa – Shannon and Erik Duffy. Their approach to crafting the finest pork products possible starts with their care and commitment to the well-being of the animals and extends through every step of the process.

The brothers believe anything good takes time, so they put excessive care into making sure things are done right. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it results in the best tasting pork.

Tender Belly invests in ingredients that meet the insanely high standards that they set for meats. But most importantly, they take their time. They believe that’s the one thing that sets Tender Belly pork apart from the rest. Giving hogs the time they need to mature, taking time searching for the best ingredients possible, allowing bacon to dry cure for 12 days and smoking it for six hours.

Tender Belly pushes the limits on premium pork and creates amazing products under a brand known for being ‘Certified Awesome.’ They make every effort to be environmentally conscious; choosing farms close to processing plants to cut down unnecessary transportation, promoting feed that is good for the environment, along with insulated, biodegradable wrapping, making sure everything is sourced with care.

Find Tender Belly products in our Meat Department and taste the Tender Belly Difference for yourself!