Loaded Baked Mac and Cheese on the Traeger
Using Cabot Creamery's amazing dairy as the base, this one-dish meal comes together in little time and is perfect for a casual family dinner around the holidays. We make it a day in advance and throw it in the Traeger about an hour before dinnertime. Full of all the good stuff, it fills everyone up and tastes delicious.
Equipment
- Large pot of boiling water
- 9x13 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Whisk
- Cheese grater
- Frying pan
- Traeger grill
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick Cabot Creamery Cooperative sweet cream unsalted butter
- 1/2 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative cream cheese
- 1 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative Vermont Seriously Sharp cheddar
- 1/2 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative Alpine Legacy cheddar
- 3 stick sCabot Creamery Cooperative smoky bacon snack sticks
- 20 ounces Large spiral shaped pasta
- 1 Yellow onion finely sliced
- 1 cup bacon chopped
- 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 scallions
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Garlic Junkie Seasoning
Instructions
- Shred the Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese on a box grater (large grate). Shred the Alpine cheddar on fine grate. Unwrap the bacon cheddar sticks and cut into cubes.
- Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to directions– draining the pasta just before it is al-dente.
- Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.
- In a small frying pan, fry the bacon pieces until cooked through. Drain the lardons on a paper towel.
- Pour off most of the bacon grease from the pan and add ½ a tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Cook the onions in that pan until golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes.
- Set the onions aside and wipe the pan dry.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in the same pan until just golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a large saucepan, make the mac and cheese sauce.
- Begin by melting the butter until it begins to brown.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined.
- Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Stir in the cream cheese and mix until it dissolves.
- Stir in the shredded Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts.
- Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Butter a 9x13 baking dish (sides and bottom) and pour in ½ of the cooked noodles.
- To the noodles, add ½ of the bacon pieces, the caramelized onions, the tomatoes (mostly drained) and the green peas.
- Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese and the cubed up bacon cheese sticks.
- Pour in half the cheese sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Repeat with a second layer, using up all the ingredients.
- In the bowl of toasted breadcrumbs, add the Garlic Junkie seasoning, finely shredded Alpine cheddar and the scallions. Mix to combine.
- Top the assembled mac and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture, covering heavily.
- Cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
- 1 hour before serving, preheat your Traeger grill to 400*.
- Place the covered dish in the grill and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the alumninum foil and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the Traeger when the dish is hot and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.