A novel spin on a beloved family tradition! Leeks, bacon, and white cheese. Leeks, a less tart onion, are true! Moreover, this is a one-pot dish! No water is being drained. Very enjoyable, quick, simple, and tasty!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
- 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
- 1 (8 ounce) package sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large leek
- 3 large plum tomatoes
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in an 8-quart stockpot.
- Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add macaroni, Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to the boiling water. Cover and let simmer vigorously for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the macaroni mixture cooks, trim dark green parts off leek and discard. Slice leek in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place in a bowl of cold water and swish to remove dirt. Drain leek and stir into the macaroni mixture.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove cores and scrape out seeds. Dice tomatoes; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Remove stockpot from heat; stir in remaining tomatoes and 1/2 of the bacon. Spoon macaroni into a serving bowl and garnish with remaining bacon and reserved tomatoes. Serve immediately.
- You can bake the bacon in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes for yummy, crispy bacon.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 642 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 63 g |
| Cholesterol | 86 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 1965 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This turned out pretty good. The only thing I did differently was to use grape tomatoes because that is what I had. I ended up adding some green onion in the end because I like the tang of them with white cheese dishes. I did end up needing more liquid so I added some half and half. This had a lot of flavor and texture and is definitely one I would make again.