Three Cheese Balsamic Pancetta Mac N Cheese

I loooove Mac n Cheese, and I've been on the hunt for the perfect homemade Mac n Cheese recipe for just about forever. My favorite recipe? The blue box. Yep...I love me some Kraft Mac n Cheese, and I am not ashamed to say it!

This recipe I saw on Pinterest and thought it sounded interesting. I like balsamic, and I've never cooked with Pancetta before, so I figured I'd give it a go. Unfortunately, it just wasn't a big hit in our house. Heath (who's not a big Mac n Cheese fan to begin with) and Jesse took one bite and flat-out refused to eat it. My Aunt Peggy happens to be in town for the week for a conference, and she came for dinner the night I made this. She said she liked it (though I'm convinced she was just being polite :)...as for myself, I liked it. Didn't love it, but I ate my whole bowl.

It's definitely different. I think that's what threw Heath and Jesse off so much. It's absolutely not your run-of-the-mill Mac n Cheese recipe. The balsamic and rosemary really add a unique flavor, so I'm willing to bet most little one's just won't like this.

So, while I realize this post seems to be all negative about this recipe, it really wasn't that bad. As I said, Peggy and I ate all of ours, but the boys just did not care for it. Eh...what are you gonna do? You win some, you lose some!

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'Three Cheese Balsamic Pancetta Mac n Cheese'

Source: Sprinkled With Flour

Ingredients

2 packages of thinly sliced pancetta ( 3 ounces each)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, separated
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup half and half, warmed
6 ounces gouda cheese, shredded
4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
2 ounces smoked gouda cheese, shredded
10 ounces cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400. Place a large pot of water (for the pasta) over high heat and cover. Roll up the pancetta slices and slice into strips with a sharp knife. In a large pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta strips until just starting to crisp, about 3-4 minutes, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar over the pancetta and stir. Allow the cooked pancetta to drain on a paper towel and set aside.

2. In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter has melted, whisk in the 4 tablespoons of flour. Continue to cook and whisk the flour for about 30 seconds. Add the rosemary and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the warmed milk and half and half, continue to whisk continuously so that there are no lumps. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, stirring constantly.

3. While waiting for the sauce to simmer, liberally salt the pot of boiling water. Add the pasta to the water and cook for about a minute less than package directions.

4. When the sauce has come to a simmer, stir in the 6 ounces of gouda, and the fontina cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, or more if you want a more pronounced flavor. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain the cooked pasta and stir into the cheese sauce until combined.

5. Pour the macaroni mixture into a 13x9 baking dish, and sprinkle with half of the smoked gouda. Top with the cooked pancetta and then the remaining smoked gouda.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the cheese is bubbly. If the pancetta starts to get too dark, cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Serve hot.

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