Kentucky Hot Brown Mac and Cheese

Kentucky Hot Brown Mac and Cheese – THE BEST!!! We ate this two weeks in a row. Seriously DELICIOUS! Macaroni, flour, butter, onion, salt, pepper, milk, gruyere cheese, turkey, bacon, tomatoes. All the flavors of a  Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich in pasta. Everyone cleaned their plate and went back for seconds. This is a new favorite. GREAT macaroni and cheese recipe!

Turkey, Bacon & Tomato Macaroni & Cheese

The Kentucky Derby is coming up. Now, I’m not a horse racing fan, but we always seem to watch the derby. I find the Derby more of an excuse to eat and drink with friends! There is nothing better than sipping a Mint Julep and eating some Kentucky Hot Browns. I have several variations of the original on the blog, but this Kentucky Hot Brown Mac & Cheese might be my favorite. Pasta loaded with turkey and bacon and tossed in a Gruyere cheese sauce. O-M-G! SO decadent!

How to Make Kentucky Hot Brown Mac & Cheese

This casserole is very easy to make. Start with cooking some macaroni. While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add some flour and slowly whisk in milk, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring the pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick, about 5 – 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese until melted. Add cooked pasta. Stir in chopped turkey and cooked bacon. Spread the mixture into a baking dish and top with more cheese. Bake until bubbly and top with chopped tomatoes before serving.

• For this recipe, I used some really thick-sliced turkey deli meat. I wanted to have nice bites of turkey throughout the mac and cheese.
• I used Gruyere cheese in the cheese sauce. Gruyere can be expensive, so feel free to substitute Swiss cheese if you don’t want to splurge on the Gruyere. I think it is totally worth the splurge!

What to Serve with Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

We topped this casserole with some fresh diced tomatoes. This has all the flavors of a hot brown but tossed with pasta. We loved this pasta! I cannot wait to make it again for the Derby! Serve this with a salad and a Mint Julep and you are set!

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Recipe Print Recipe

Kentucky Hot Brown Mac and Cheese

Author: Plain Chicken

Yield: 6 people

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Kentucky Hot Brown Mac and Cheese – THE BEST!!! We ate this two weeks in a row. Seriously DELICIOUS! Macaroni, flour, butter, onion, salt, pepper, milk, gruyere cheese, turkey, bacon, tomatoes. All the flavors of a  Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich in pasta. Everyone cleaned their plate and went back for seconds. This is a new favorite. GREAT macaroni and cheese recipe!

Equipment:

• 9-inch Square Baking Dish

Ingredients:

• 8- oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2½ cups whole milk
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, divided (can use swiss cheese)
• 8- oz cooked turkey chopped
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Melt butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 – 2 minutes, but do not brown. Slowly whisk in milk, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• Bring pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick, about 5 – 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1½ cups shredded cheese into sauce until melted. Add cooked pasta. Stir in chopped turkey and cooked bacon.
• Pour pasta mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish. Top with remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with chopped tomatoes before serving.

Plain Chicken

https://www.plainchicken.com/kentucky-hot-brown-mac-and-cheese/

All images and text © Plain Chicken, Inc.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plainchicken or tag #plainchicken!

Steph