Morton's Mac & Cheese with Bacon Duckinapot Style

Morton's Steakhouse makes a super rich, four cheese, macaroni and cheese. It is crazy cheesy. Well, the boys at Duckinapot just didn't think it was rich enough. YES it has four cheeses, heavy cream and butter in the recipe, we just thought it needed a kick in the pants with a Duckinapot staple... BACON!

Directions:
Fry 1 pound of bacon very well done so it super crispy and almost burned on the edges
Break into large pieces and put aside

Cook 16 ounces dried cavatappi pasta until al dente.
It is the Italian word for corkscrew.
Cavatappi is a pasta that is made without using eggs.
It sometimes has grooves or ridges, known as rigati, on the outer surface.

Drain but leave a little water on the pasta to keep it moist. Reserve another 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin the sauce.
Return to the cooking pot and cover to keep warm

Melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat and sauté 6 tablespoons finely diced onions for about 1 minute or until tender

Add 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and bring to a simmer

3 ounces (about 2/3 cup) grated parmesan cheese
Stir in 10 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese;
1 ounce (about 6 tablespoons) grated swiss cheese
4 ounces cream cheese cut into small cubes

Cook, stirring, until the cheeses melt and are fully incorporated into the cream.

Let the sauce reach a simmer and stir in 1 tablespoon Chile paste. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.

Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender or hand-held electric mixer
beat for about 45 seconds until the cheeses and onions are completely blended.

The sauce will be thick
thin it with the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix well. Season to taste with salt.

Ladle the sauce over the pasta and mix well with a rubber spatula

Add 1 pound of bacon pieces

Transfer to a deep, 2-quart baking dish and spread the pasta and cheese evenly.
Sprinkle 6 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the casserole
Sprinkle with 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400°F or until hot, brown on top and bubbling around the edges.
Serve immediately.

[Vader]

I’m surprised this doesn’t have more views. Great recipe!!! Thanks for the video

[alenaguilera]

Can you use a glass baking dish instead? Or will it not bake correctly?