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Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with Bacon and Breadcrumbs

Rich and creamy Cavatappi Pasta with bacon and crunchy bread crumbs. 

This Cavatappi Pasta recipe is great for fall dinners, with the weather changing! Last weekend, we took our yearly fall trip to the pumpkin patch. Its funny to me how different pumpkin patches are now then when I grow up, but I can't complain, because they're undoubtedly better.

Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with Bacon and Bread Crumbs

This one had a train, hayrides, pig races (seriously), and a ton of fun playgrounds, tunnels, and stuff to do for the kids. It's not so much about the pumpkins anymore, but more about fall family fun! Eli loved it, of course, and they had pumpkin doughnuts, so I was a happy camper too. 

Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with Bacon and Bread Crumbs

Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with Bacon and Bread Crumbs

At one point, I noticed that there was a "Dad's Den." It had couches and a TV, and to the credit of the hundreds of men at the patch, it was empty. I made an off-the-cuff joke about it to my husband, and he looked at me very seriously and said "It's embarrassing to me that that room even exists." My husband is a modern SuperDad. I'm saying this without any irony, he seriously could write a book on being a awesome, involved Dad. 

Creamy Cavatappi Pasta with Bacon and Bread Crumbs

When we got home from the pumpkin patch, we were all tired and took a LONG nap. I woke up a little earlier than everyone else and started on some comfort food from dinner. This mac and cheese recipe is borrowed from one of my favorite recipes from our local Culinary Institute.

They have an super cool program where their chefs cook meals and freeze them, and you can stop by and buy them, almost like what you do with the freezer aisle at the grocery store but MUCH tastier. We lived off this mac and cheese when I was heavily pregnant and on maternity leave. It is simply the best.

cavatappi mac and cheese

I changed one major thing from the original recipe. I originally made the recipe as written, but I found that it dried out when I baked it, and was a bit disappointing. To me, dry mac and cheese is a sin.

So, this time I made it I really did it as a stove top recipe, and then I threw the bread crumbs on top, and placed it in the oven for a very, very quick broil. Two to three minutes is all you need to get the bread crumbs nice and toasty, and also brown the top of a little bit!

The sauce in this Cavatappi Pasta recipe is luscious. There's no other way to describe it, and cavatappi (corkscrew pasta) puts boring old macaroni to shame. There, I said it! 

cavatappi mac and cheese

"Big Kid" Cavatappi Mac and Cheese

Rich and creamy cavatappi mac and cheese with bacon.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cavatappi pasta, dry
  • ½ pound bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 5 tablespoons butter, unsalted
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1-½ teaspoons whole grain mustard
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Pinch of salt, to taste
  • Pinch of pepper, to taste

For the topping

  • 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup butter, unsalted, melted

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain.
  2. In a skillet, add bacon and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and place in bowl, leaving bacon grease in skillet.
  3. Add onions to skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove and add to bowl with bacon.
  4. Add butter, and stir until melted. Add flour, mustard, garlic seasoning, and cayenne. Stir for 1-2 minutes until mixture thickens.
  5. Slowly add in milk and chicken stock. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce hit to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until mixture is reduced.
  6. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and well combined. Add pasta, bacon and onions, stir.
  7. Transfer to a 9x13'' casserole dish. Combine panko bread crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Add bread crumb mixture to the top of the casserole.
  8. Set oven to broil. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the bread crumbs are well toasted and the top of the mac and cheese has formed a light crust.
  9. Cool slightly before serving.
© Michelle
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

    Love 3 things about this post: 1) that your husband dissed the "Dad's Den" 2) that your Culinary Institute has such a cool program like that; and 3) this recipe!! It looks amazing!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      Thanks Patricia! Lucky on many fronts, for sure. My husband just rocks.

  2. Julia says

    I love your big kid version! This would definitely be a huge hit with me!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      Thank you Julia!

  3. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

    We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow night and I think I might make this recipe for grown up macaroni and cheese. It looks amazing and I know our guests will love it! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      It would be a hit! Thanks Renee.

  4. Erin @ Texanerin Baking says

    I've never been to a pumpkin patch. I now really want to! 🙂 And this mac and cheese sounds amazing. Especially with that topping!

    Reply

  5. Maryanne @ the little epicurean says

    Love that your recipe includes bacon! Mac and cheese with a hint of bacon sounds heavenly!

    Reply

  6. Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling says

    A Dad's Den!? Seriously?? Happy for you that your hubby didn't go for it! Sounds like a fun day and this mac & cheese sounds like the perfect end to it!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      For real! I'm happy too. Seeing it empty made me relieved for all the other Moms at the patch!

  7. Kristyn says

    Wow! This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      Thanks Kristyn!

  8. LeAnn says

    Has anybody actually made this? I'm having a dinner party next Saturday and need a tasty side dish. Looks and sounds good but I hesitate to try this bc nobody has commented on whether they've actually made it. I might make it today just to see if it taste good. Thinking about adding a little broccoli also.

    Reply

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