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Bacon Noodle Bake

Source of Recipe

From "Bake Until Bubbly" by Clifford Wright


Recipe Introduction

"This recipe makes a wonderful impression on guests as it is rich and luscious. The real key to the dish is the bacon. It is best to forget about the watery, shriveled supermarket bacon that does not have the depth of flavor needed. To me, supermarket bacon tastes of sugar, salt, and artificial flavoring, and has too much fat and water. There is a lot of properly cured bacon being produced in this country today by, for lack of a better term, artisanal producers. The first time you cook artisan bacon you will notice that it doesn't shrivel, but instead, it maintains its shape and is very flavorful. The best known of the artisan producers is Niman Ranch. You can buy their center-cut applewood-smoked bacon at stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, or at their website, nimanranch.com. But there are many others. If you must use supermarket bacon, look for slab bacon or at least the thickest cut of unflavored bacon they have."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
â—¦ 2 cups (about 6 ounces) shredded Gruyère, Cantal, or Comté cheese
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ ½ pound wide egg noodles, such as pappardelle or lasagne
â—¦ ¾ pound thick-cut bacon
â—¦ ¼ cup (less than 1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
â—¦ ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 cup fresh bread crumbs


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 12 x 9 x 2-inch baking casserole with 1 tablespoon of butter. In a bowl, stir together the Gruyère cheese, heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, and mayonnaise. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of abundantly salted water to vigorous boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring constantly, until al dente. Drain and transfer the noodles to a bowl. (If using lasagne, cut or break them into 1 ½-inch-long strips.) Add the cheese mixture and toss with the noodles.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss half of the bacon with the noodle mixture. Arrange the noodle mixture in the casserole. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the noodle mixture, then cover with the remaining bacon. Season with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter with the bread crumbs and then sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the casserole. Bake until bubbly, golden, and crispy on top, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings