There is nothing like a great homemade macaroni & cheese to take you back to childhood. Memories of my mother & grandmother making & serving this will always come to mind right from the very first bite. I have now passed their macaroni & cheese down to my children as well. For my entry, I used our family recipe & added a few twists. The addition of ham & bacon, as well as baking it inside a poblano pepper added a perfect smoky flavor in every bite. The hint of thyme added so much freshness. Topping it with a poached egg took it over the top making it a perfect meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
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preparation
preparation Time30 mins
cook Time
30 mins
servings
10
calories
1334 per serving
ingredients
- 8 poblano pepper
- 16 ounces fusilli or corkscrew pasta
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
- 3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup gruyre cheese
- 2 cup ham, cubed
- 20 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
- 1 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
- 16 large eggs
directions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.. Cut peppers in half lengthwise & remove seeds. Boil peppers 3-4 minutes & drain on a towel.
Step 2
Add pasta to boiling water & cook for 1 minute less than package directions & drain.
Step 3
While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a sauce pan. Add in flour, mix well & cook for 4-5 minutes.
Step 4
Whisk in milk stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Season with nutmeg, salt, pepper & of the thyme.
Step 5
Melt in the cheddar & Gruyere cheese. Add ham, bacon & pasta and mix well.
Step 6
Spoon mixture into peppers, sprinkle with Pecorino Romano. Place peppers in a baking dish & bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top
Step 7
A few minutes before removing peppers from the oven, fill a large sauce pan 1/2 way with water & bring to a boil. Reduce boiling water to a simmer & season with salt. Gently drop eggs, one at a time, into water. Use a spoon to nudge the whites around the yolk. Cook for 3-4 minutes until whites are set. *cook the eggs in several batches.
Step 8
Remove eggs from water & drain. Place an egg on top of each pepper. Garnish with remaining fresh thyme leaves.
