Bacon Cheeseburger Macaroni
This is a great dish that incorporates macaroni and cheese with tiny little burgers. I came up with this dish when I trying to cook delicious food for my nephew who was recuperating from a surgery. He loves macaroni can cheese and really loves cheese burgers.. so I decided to incorporate all of those ingredients into this dish.
I had to add some veggies- so decided to add some chopped carrots and peas. I flavored the ground beef with garlic and parsley and made tiny little burgers. I used pancetta and shallots to give yummy flavor to the béchamel sauce. All in all it was a delicious concoction. It was a special treat for him and I was glad I could come up with something he would enjoy….
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the ground beef, garlic, parsley and salt in a small bowl and keep aside for ½ an hour. Form tiny patties, about ½ an inch in diameter and place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, till they are formed on the outside. Take out and keep aside.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pancetta, chopped
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt
- ½ pound cooked elbow pasta (slightly underdone)
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the shallot and sauté for another 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the butter and flour and mix with a wooden spoon and cook for a minute on medium heat. Slowly add the milk and whisk to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly till the liquid is thickened. Add the carrots and peas and cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes or till the carrots are soft. Add the cheese, pasta and burger patties. Taste for seasonings and add salt. Mix well and serve hot.
