Mac and cheese is a Southern staple. Creamy, crunchy, cheesy, plain or with add-ins… no matter how you make it, it’s definitely on the menu often.
Another Southern staple is pimento cheese, which is why it was a massive shock to me that I had never heard of combining the two until now.
That’s right, pimento mac and cheese. What could be more delicious than that?
The recipe is from Southern Living, which can be found in full by clicking here.
Here’s how you make it.
You will need:
- 6 tbsp. butter
- 6 tbsp. flour
- 1 qt. milk
- 4 cups cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, grated
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 lb. cooked cavatappi pasta (or any other noodle of choice)
- 5 oz. cooked bacon, chopped
- 14 oz. pimento chiles, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (they used panko)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. chives, chopped
Boil your noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, make your sauce. Start by melting the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour. Stir and cook until it smells like pie crust.
Pour in your 1 qt. of milk and stir until thoroughly combined with no lumps. Add your cheese, onion, Worcestershire, hot sauce, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Stir until combined and the cheese is melted.
Add in your noodles, cooked bacon, and chopped pimentos. Stir until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together bread crumbs and olive oil. Pour mac and cheese into a casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs.
Broil the mac and cheese until the crumbs are golden brown. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
Mac and cheese is good on its own, but with all of these delicious flavors mixed in, this southern twist on the classic dish is downright addicting.
What do you like to put in your mac and cheese?