Being originally from New York and living in Maryland, I have not had pimentos that many times...but the few times I've had them, I thought they were amazing! Pimentos are known as the "caviar of the south" and believe me, they are fabulous. For those of you that don't know-pimentos are a type of chili pepper-but are sweet and very juicy. I found them in jars located by the olives and capers in my grocery store. Again, they aren't huge here, so I had a little bit of digging to do to find them.
This was an amazing dish-we ate it as a main dish with a side salad and really, really liked it. It would also be a fun side dish that would go with just about anything. Other than the pimentos, I already had everything I needed to make this. If you are looking for a fun way to change up mac and cheese-this is definitely it!
Bacon Pimento Mac and Cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 cups milk (I used skim)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Hot sauce (about 5 dashes or to taste)
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained
5 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Preaheat oven to 350.
Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the pasta, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk constantly for about 3 minutes…until the flour mixture is a light amber in color. Add in the dry mustard and slowly whisk in the milk; continue to whisk for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese and a few dashes of hot sauce, whisking until cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta back into the saucepan with the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Stir in the drained pimentos and cooked bacon.
Pour macaroni into a medium sized baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered, until starting to brown on top and bubbling.
2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 cups milk (I used skim)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Hot sauce (about 5 dashes or to taste)
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained
5 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Preaheat oven to 350.
Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the pasta, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk constantly for about 3 minutes…until the flour mixture is a light amber in color. Add in the dry mustard and slowly whisk in the milk; continue to whisk for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese and a few dashes of hot sauce, whisking until cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta back into the saucepan with the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Stir in the drained pimentos and cooked bacon.
Pour macaroni into a medium sized baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered, until starting to brown on top and bubbling.
Looks delicious, Dawn! I don't think I've ever had pimentos though I've seen them in recipes often. I'm going to keep an eye out on my next grocery run.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I bet the pimentos give the mac and cheese a little spicy kick, which I love!
ReplyDelete