In order to accompany my leftover smoked pot roast, I created this air fryer mac ‘n cheese. Right now, I’m making mac ‘n’ cheese only this way. This is delicious and makes about 4 servings.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon crumbled cooked bacon
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- ¼ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ grated Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until almost firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, melt bacon grease in a small cast iron skillet that fits in your air fryer over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir flour into the hot bacon grease until golden brown, making a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in bacon and Italian herbs. Mix in Cheddar, Parmesan, Colby-Monterey Jack, and ricotta cheeses, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes.
- Preheat an air fryer to 390 degrees F (195 degrees C).
- Fold pasta into the cheese sauce and top with bread crumbs. Spritz with olive oil and pat down to minimize fly-away crumbs.
- Air-fry until the top is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling up at the edge of the skillet, about 15 minutes.