Bobby Flay’s Macaroni and Cheese Carbonara
A flavorful twist on a comfort food classic.
There are classic mac and cheeses and then there are mac and cheeses with a twist. I’m sure Bobby Flay has plenty of both, but this recipe is more of the latter. see, this is Bobby Flay’s Macaroni and Cheese Carbonara which is kind of like the baked pasta best of both worlds. You get creamy, cheesy macaroni goodness but you get some of that salty, delicious carbonara flavor too. Win-win.
We made this mac and cheese as a part of our Celebrity Mac and Cheese Recipe Showdown. It’s a fun thing where we take four celebrity recipes — some celebrity chefs, some not so much — cook them, and then taste and compare them to see how they stack up. This match-up included Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, John Legend, and Patti LaBelle. They were all very different and delicious in their own right.
Bobby’s mac and cheese recipe isn’t quite like any other I’ve made. He has you start by browning some pancetta (that’s that carbonara angle) and then making a roux with the pancetta fat. Then, you whisk in milk to build the sauce, but you add eggs too. I guess that’s the carbonara angle coming in as well but we couldn’t really see what it added to the sauce in this application. There are five cheeses involved — asiago, Irish white cheddar, American cheddar, fontina, and parmesan all get whisked into the sauce — and then it’s flavored with thyme, cayenne, and parsley.
That combination of cheeses doesn’t taste like carbonara to me but it did taste good and that’s all that really matters. Our other taste testers found the thyme overpowering here but I quite liked the herbiness! I also liked the addition of the pancetta. I’m generally not one to add “mix ins” to my mac and cheese but Bobby just might have changed my mind.
To see how this staked up with the other celebrity mac and cheeses, see our Celebrity Mac and Cheese Recipe Showdown article!
Bobby Flay’s Macaroni and Cheese Carbonara
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 lb sliced pancetta, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups whole milk, or more if needed, hot
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups Asiago cheese, grated, plus more for the top
- 1 1/2 cups Irish white cheddar, grated, plus more for the top
- 1 1/2 cups American cheddar, grated, plus more for the top
- 1 cup aged fontina cheese, grated, plus more for the top
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for the top
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F and butter the bottom and sides of a 10x10-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add garlic to pan and cook until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes more. Whisk in hot milk, increase heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in eggs until incorporated and let cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in thyme, cayenne, and all cheese until smooth and melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If mixture is too thick, add additional milk 1/4 cup at a time.
- Transfer cooked macaroni to a large bowl, then add cheese sauce, reserved pancetta, and parsley and stir to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Mix together an additional 1/4 cup of each cheese, then sprinkle over the top. Bake until top is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe from Food Network.