Macaroni and Cheese

I love macaroni. I recently found macaroni-shaped shirataki noodles at my local international supermarket, Global Foods. I've used shirataki noodles in several dishes before, some turned out ok, others didn't. But still, these were the tofu ones, which tend to be less crunchy and chewy than the originals. I immediately thought of a macaroni and cheese dish, of course. I made too much cheese sauce, so I'm going to put in the recipe to add either meat or veggies (or both) or reduce the sauce amount so your noodles aren't swimming. I mean, not that I'd complain about too much cheese!

Ingredients:

• 3 bags Shirataki Tofu Macaroni Noodles
• 10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2-3 oz. another cheese (I used Havarti)
• 2 oz. another cheese (I used a bit of leftover smoked Gouda)
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/3 c. white wine
• 4-5 slices of bacon
• 3/4 c. chopped green onions
• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tbsp. garlic cheese butter (optional)
• 1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan 
• Choice of veggies (precooked): broccoli, asparagus, baby spinach, etc.
• Choice of meat: chopped ham, chopped turkey, chicken, sausage, even ground beef

Directions:

1. Use a colander to drain the noodles and rinse them well for at least a minute. You must do this or your noodles may have a weird taste. Set aside to drain and dry off a bit.
2. Microwave/cook the bacon until slightly crispy. Let cool.
3. In a sauce pan, melt 1 tbsp. of the butter and add the shallot. Saute until shallot is soft and translucent. Add the rest of the butter and the minced garlic. Add the garlic cheese butter if you have it. 
4. Add the cheddar and other cheeses except the parmesan to the sauce pan. 
5. Add the heavy cream and white wine.
6. Add the pepper, onion powder, basil, and parsley. 
7. Chop up the bacon.
8. You can either add the chopped green onions, noodles, bacon, parmesan, and your choice of meat and/or veggie to the pot and stir and serve, or you can put the noodles, onions, and bacon into a casserole dish, add the meat and/or veggie, pour over the cheese sauce, sprinkle on the parmesan, and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. I prefer to bake it to make the cheese sauce thicker and more cohesive. If your sauce is a bit runny, try adding more meat and veggies, or even xanthan gum. 

It was very delicious, and if I hadn't been full after one serving, I'd have gotten seconds.