Cooking Instructions
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2.
In a skillet, cook the
Wright® Brand Smoked Bacon (6 slices)
. When crispy, drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Reserve 4 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Cook the
Penne Pasta (1 2/3 cups)
in salted water according to package's instructions. Reserve 2 tablespoons of pasta water.
3.
In the same skillet, use the reserved bacon grease and sprinkle in
Unbleached All Purpose Flour (1/4 cup)
Whisk together for 3-5 minutes. The fat will absorb the flour to create a roux. Cooking will cook off the raw flour flavor.
4.
When the roux turns sandy beige, pour in the
Half and Half (4 cups)
. Whisk thoroughly to prevent any lumps.
5.
Keep whisking and add
Ground Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)
,
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
and
Unsalted Butter (2 Tbsp)
.
6.
Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the
Cheese (5 2/3 cups)
, pasta water, and
Egg (1)
.
7.
Toss the cooked pasta in the cheese mixture.
8.
In a buttered dish, layer in pasta with crumbled bacon. Reserve some of the crumbled bacon for topping.
9.
Top with
Panko Breadcrumbs (to taste)
extra bacon and cheese.
10.
Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Cover with tin foil for half the baking time.
11.
Broil for about 5 minutes to blister the cheese.