Adapted from Katie Lee Joel's THE COMFORT TABLE. I’m a total sucker for an awesome mac & cheese…but it’s got to have REAL cheese - none of that processed fake food stuff. You can use almost any combination of hard cheese that you like. I love the added kick that the crumbled blue cheese adds to the Cheddar, fontina, and Parmesan. This makes a great side dish, but also an excellent vegetarian main course when served with a couple of vegetable sides. We also love the mac and cheese at one of my favorite local restaurants, Liberty Market. The adaptations I’ve added make it a ringer for my fave mac and cheese there!

1 pound macaroni (can use regular elbow macaroni or penne, farfalle, etc.)
8 slices bacon, cooked (reserve 3 tablespoons drippings)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions. Drain well.

Cook the 8 slices of bacon, reserving 3 tablespoons of drippings.

In a large saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter together with the 3 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While still whisking, add the milk and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar, fontina, blue cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in macaroni. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top. In a medium bowl melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mix with the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES