Fancied-up Mac n Cheese with Bacon and Green Beans

I don't know about you, but I'm a huge mac n cheese lover. There is something so comforting and reminiscent of my childhood in every cheesy bite. Of course, I prefer homemade cheese sauce with homemade pasta, but sometimes the box is all you have...which was the case for me a few nights ago. I decided to use ingredients I had on-hand to jazz it up a bit.

First, I crisped up three slices of thick-cut bacon in a deep sauce pan. (Because everything in this universe is better with bacon.)

When the bacon became crisp, I removed it from the pan and set aside on paper towels to drain. I left the bacon grease in the bottom of the pan and added my chopped aromatic vegetables: celery, onion, carrot, and garlic.

Fun fact: this mixture is called a "mirepoix" in the food world. The things I learn on the Food Network...

Then I seasoned with a generous amount of salt, pepper, cayenne, and grill seasoning to give it some good color and flavor.

To that I added a bunch of chopped fresh thyme...

and an ear of corn freshly cut off the cob.

Look how cute my bright green knife is! That was a gift from my Aunt Shelly and cousin Hayleigh.

I added the bacon back in and let this mixture cook on medium-low for about 15 minutes while I started on my cheese sauce. In a separate sauce pan, I melted two tablespoons of butter with one clove of chopped garlic. Once the butter was melted and bubbling, I added two tablespoons of flour and stirred together in a paste-like consistency. This is the roux, or thickening agent for the sauce. I learned this method when I was a little girl from my dad when he would make gravy for chicken fried steak.

To the roux, I slowly whisked in a few cups of almond milk. The only reason I use almond milk instead of regular milk is because regular milk hurts my stomach. To that, I added the packet of cheese sauce (yes, the glowing orange stuff) and some shredded pepperjack cheese and black pepper. I let this bubble away for about five minutes and then took off the heat.

 To a large pot of salted boiling water I added the packaged macaroni and a few handfuls of fresh trimmed green beans. I only blanched these for about three minutes because they would continue to cook later in the oven and I didn't want them to become mushy.

I drained the beans and macaroni and added them to the cheese sauce. 
In a large casserole dish, I covered the bottom with a few pieces of oven-ready lasagna just to give some stability. Then I added my vegetable/bacon mixture on top of that.

This orange casserole dish is by Rachael Ray and I'm obsessed. It comes with a lid and has handles on the sides. My cute mom gave it to me as a gift a few years ago.

Next, I layered the green bean and mac mixture.

Then I topped it with sliced tomato, bread crumbs, and crumbled pepperjack cheese.

This can be made ahead of time and covered and refrigerated.
When we were ready to eat dinner, I took the casserole out of the fridge and preheated the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I let it cook for 15 minutes covered, five minutes uncovered. It was such bubbly cheesy goodness when it came out of the oven!

I let it set for about 10 minutes and then we dug in. The bacon, tomato, and green bean flavors mixed in with the comforting cheese is a dream. Plus, one box of mac n cheese went a long way! We had plenty for leftovers the next day.

I appreciate you all reading so very much! Any feedback or comments are greatly appreciated. Let me know what you want to see next! Until next time, xoxo