Easy Buffalo Mac and Cheese with Pancetta
Are you one of the many obsessed with all things buffalo? Be it buffalo sliders, buffalo chicken dip, or the classic buffalo wing, the buffalo craze has turned up the heat within many classic recipes. I mean, how could you get excited about a plate of dry, bland, and buffal-ess chicken wings? How could you even enjoy the Super Bowl? When it comes down to it, the buffalo trend really does shape everything we’ve come to know and love. And with the beloved macaroni and cheese at the forefront of American dinner favorites, why not intertwine the two? Say hello to our little friend: The Buffalo Pancetta Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients
Now, this isn’t just any plain old mac and cheese with a splash of buffalo sauce. No, this recipe includes some carefully selected cheeses. First, every sophisticated mac and cheese must include the classic cheddar. Once this was settled, we added President Brie’s Garlic and Herb cheese wedge and a Havarti block into the melting pot. We opted for two creamy cheeses to add to the texture of the sauce. Both brie and havarti have a buttery flavor which make them even better candidates for the job.
We opted for the classic Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce as it is a staple in our fridge but feel free to use your favorite or go the extra mile and make your own! The amount of buffalo sauce you use is at your discretion. We built up our sauce to our ideal temperature but if you want more or less heat, you hold all the power. (Do note: taste tests may be your friend during this step!)
Mac and Tips
While this recipe was very easy to make with an easy clean up, there are some important tips to follow:
- Make sure you are constantly stirring your cheese sauce to prevent burning or caking. The oils may also start to separate which you’ll want thoroughly mixed come time to pour over your pasta.
- DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR PASTA! Especially since this is going in the oven, you’ll want an al dente pasta, slightly firm to the bite.
- The recipe comes out MUCH better with freshly grated cheese rather than store-bought shredded. Going the extra mile will go a LONG way.
Buffalo Mac and Cheese with Pancetta
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Butter
- 1/3 cup Flour
- 2 1/2 cups Milk
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 wedge Garlic and Herb Brie Cheese cubed and de-rinded
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce
- 1 lb Pasta
- 1 package Pancetta
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and preheat oven to 375°.
- While the water is boiling, melt your butter in a skillet or pan and add the flour. Allow this mixture to thicken on low heat and add the milk. Let this simmer and thicken, stirring constantly.
- Add all cheeses to the pot.
- Once your water is boiling, add salt and pasta and cook until al dente.
- Add buffalo sauce and continue to stir your cheese sauce (it should continue to thicken the more you stir over heat).
- In another pan, sauté pancetta and set aside.
- Once pasta is done, strain and add to glass casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce on top, saving 1/2 cup for later use. Add cooked pancetta, stir mixture and bake for 15 minutes or until your mac and cheese becomes nice and bubbly.
- Plate and pour extra cheese sauce over servings if needed. Season with parsley and enjoy!
Mac It Healthy
For our preference, we decided against cream; a major staple for most mac and cheese recipes. Sometimes the cream can be a bit too much for the stomach. Granted we have butter, milk, and a plethora of cheeses, our dairy choices were carefully selected. We’ll touch more on this later but grass-fed dairy is the route we took for our ingredients. Especially if you have a dairy allergy, grass-fed is the way to go. In terms of the pasta, we ditched all the additives and went with a Fusilli pasta with semolina durum wheat as the only ingredient. Call it a guilt-free pasta if you’d like, this recipe really is a great, wholesome, and health-conscious dish for the whole family!
We do hope you enjoy this recipe. If you did just as much as we did, feel free to share on your socials and comment your thoughts below!
Looking for other easy-to-make dinner recipes? Check out some of our favorites below:
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