Fried Mac-n-Cheese... (yes I DID just say fried)

Disclaimer: If you are dieting, and you love cheese and bacon, please do not torture yourself by reading this post. If you go against this caution and read it anyway, don't say I didn't warn you!


My family loves macaroni and cheese.
Half of my kids are Kraft purists. Give them the stuff out of the blue box and don't do anything  different to it, and no one gets hurt.
OK. Fine.
More of the "good stuff" for the rest of us!

What is this "good stuff" I speak of? Well, it looks something like this:

Want a better look? Here ya go:

Looks yummy, hu? It is!
It's easy, too.

What you need:
2 boxes of macaroni and cheese (I use Kraft... my kids revolt if we even consider buying anything else. Any variety will work. I usually just use the Original. This time, my husband picked up the Thick and Creamy variety, so that's what you see.)

bacon (Use any kind you like. Also, use as much or as little as you like. I used about 4 slices. I probably would have gone with 6, since we love bacon, but everyone wanted some on their cheeseburgers... so yeah...)


Cheese (As much or as little as you like- I usually use around 1 1/2 cups shredded. Again, choose your favorite kind. I love using a nice sharp cheddar. Tillamook makes a good one! Monterey Jack is also a favorite. This time, I had Monterey Jack on hand and I had a few slices of American left over from the burgers. Perfect!)


A NON-STICK skillet (I cannot stress non-stick enough. You don't want a burnt-on, hard to clean, stuck-on mess.)


What you do:
Make the boxes of mac n cheese according to the directions.

While the mac n cheese is cooking, get out your nonstick skillet and fry up your bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon and drain off the grease. Remove the grease from the pan, as well. Break up the bacon into small pieces, and set aside.

Now here's where the fun starts.

Mix the bacon pieces and half of the cheese into the macaroni and cheese.

Make sure your non-stick skillet is heated on medium heat. Take half of the reserved cheese and sprinkle it directly onto the skillet. Now, pour the macaroni and cheese over the cheese in the skillet. DO NOT STIR. Top with remaining cheese.

Once the cheese on the bottom has crisped up a bit, use a spatula to gently lift and turn sections of the mac n cheese. You should see nice golden fried cheese. Yum!
At this point, feel free to break up some of that yummy fried cheese and gently mix it in. Be sure not to disturb the bottom of the pan, though.

After a few minutes, lift the mac n cheese from the bottom, to check the doneness of the cheese, and when it is where you want it, go ahead and turn the heat off and give the whole pan a little stir. That's it.

Serve and enjoy the yumminess.