Loaded Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Loaded Baked Macaroni and Cheese
By Derek McGraw, Princeton

      When the hubby stops me and says to try a dish, it must be good. When he says that about mac and cheese, it must be really good. At a recent fundraiser dinner, he did just that by pointing out how good a loaded mac and cheese dish was from a local "chef." This dish won honors at the event and one good look at the ingredients explains it all. Well done.

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

Loaded Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound center cut bacon    
1 cup Wisconsin Jack Cheese
1 teaspoon of garlic salt        
1 (16 oz.) box of elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon of white pepper    
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder    
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon paprika   
 2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
1 packet of Ranch seasoning       
2 cups Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese
1 small pouch of bacon bits

Preparation -
Fry bacon until crisp; drain and crumble. Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to the al dente package directions. Drain well.

In a large bowl combine milk, eggs, sour cream, and seasonings with bacon bits. Whisk together until mixed well. Stir in the cooked pasta and Wisconsin cheese, reserving 1 cup of Cheddar.

Pour into a deep baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Wisconsin Cheddar evenly over the top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove when edges become golden.

Allow baking dish to set for 10 minutes. Garnish with crumbled bacon.