Swapping out the traditional macaroni for orchiaetta pasta, adding in bacon, kale and garlic, and coating with the buttery cheesy goodness, this Camembert Mac and Cheese is an elevated version of your childhood favourite, you remember the orange stuff.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada in partnership with Food Bloggers of Canada. All opinions are our own.
Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. It's the food of childhood nostalgia, late night eats and essentially what food dreams are made of. It's hearty and sturdy, creamy and melty, and encourages all types of toppings from bacon to bread crumbs to kale.
I guess you could say a good mac and cheese resembles the same qualities of our first childhood heroes, dad... strong and reliable, kind and warm, and encourages you to be exactly who you are. To celebrate this special day devoted to dad, we've used a very special Canadian cheese in our Camembert Mac and Cheese.
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This month's cheese of the month comes to us from Upper Canada Cheese Company in partnership with Dairy Farmers of Canada. Their Comfort Cream Camembert is made purely from Guernsey milk, a rare high quality prized breed of dairy cow and has a bloomy rind with a silky, creamy and golden interior. And like an exceptional dad, this cheese ripens with age to mature in flavour, texture and colour.
Swapping out the traditional macaroni for orchiaetta pasta, adding in bacon, kale and garlic, and coating with the buttery cheesy goodness, this Camembert Mac and Cheese is an elevated version of your childhood favourite.
How to Make Camembert Mac and Cheese
Get Prepared
Start a large pot of water to boil. Ensure the water is heavily salted to flavour the pasta. If you've ever swallowed saltwater, then this is what your pasta water should taste like.
Roughly chop the bacon and cook in a skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and discard any excess fat in the pan. While the bacon is cooking, chop the onion, garlic and kale.
For the camembert, it is up to you if you want to melt the rind (bloom) into this gourmet mac and cheese. It is perfectly edible but it may not completely melt. If you want to include the bloom then just chop the camembert into ½ inch squares. If you prefer to leave out the bloom then carefully cut it off, ensuring to waste as little of the cheese as possible.
Get Cooking
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for one minute less than the package suggest.
Using the same pan that you cooked the bacon in, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for one minute, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it starts to become golden.
Lower heat to medium-low. Pour in the milk and cream and whisk until no lumps remain. Allow the sauce to thicken to coat the back of the spoon, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the camembert cheese until melted. Add the dijon mustard, lemon juice, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta shells, bacon, and kale, then give a good stir and remove from the heat.
Make the Topping and Bake the Camembert Mac and Cheese
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and parmigiana. If using a deep skillet, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, if using individual skillets/dishes, divide the mac and cheese evenly among them and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
Place in the oven under a high broil until the top becomes golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool for a minute or two before serving.
Helpful Tools and Ingredients to Make a Camembert Mac and Cheese
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Camembert Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry pasta shells
- ¼ lb bacon
- ½ bunch kale chopped, approximately 2 cups
- 4 tablespoon salted butter divided
- ½ medium red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 oz camembert cheese
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmigiano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water to boil. Cut the bacon into ½ inch squares and cook until just crisp in a french oven or deep skillet. Remove the bacon and place on paper towel until ready to use again. Drain any excess grease from the pot/pan.
- Place the pasta in the pot of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes (or 1-2 minutes less than suggested cooking time on the package). Continue following steps, while the pasta is cooking.
- Using the same pan that you cooked the bacon in, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for one minute, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it starts to become golden. Lower to medium-low heat, add the milk and cream and whisk until no lumps remain. Allow the sauce to thicken to coat the back of the spoon, about 2-3 minutes.
- Scoop out the inside of the Comfort Cream into the béchamel. Scrape the rind to get every last bit of cheese. Continue to stir until all the cheese is incorporated, melted and creamy. Add the dijon mustard, lemon juice, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta shells, bacon, and kale, then give a good stir and remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and parmigiana.
- If using a deep skillet, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, if using individual skillets/dishes, divide the mac and cheese evenly among them and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
- Place in the oven under a high broil until the top becomes golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Nutrition
Maggie says
I've never used brie and a mac and cheese before and it was awesome! I added a little extra cheese to it. I'll definitely be making this again!
Chef Sous Chef says
It's definitely a game changer. Thanks Maggie!
Bee McDonald says
Sorry but this just didn't make it. Needed much more cheese and flavors and less bread crumbs.
It was a 1/10 for me.
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks so much Bee for taking the time to comment. This is a very old recipe from our early blogging days and I must admit, I absolutely agree with you. We will be reworking the recipe and hope you will give it a try once it's updated!