Cheesy Baked Potato Mac and Cheese Recipe (2024)

Scale

• 12 oz Cavatappi pasta, also known as Cellentani. (rigatoni or penne can also work.) Cavatappi is a short, tubular, corkscrew-shaped pasta.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups peeled, diced potato
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes (set aside a tablespoon or two for garnish)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cup frozen sweet corn, defrosted
• 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning (1/4 for the potatoes and 1/4 for the sauce)
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard (I used a squirt of yellow mustard- it’s all I had)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup grated Parmesan blend cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup bacon bits (or the equivalent of freshly cooked and diced)

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1. Make the pasta: Cook pasta in a large pot, according to package directions. After cooking is complete, drain, return to pot and keep warm.
2. Cook the potatoes: While the pasta is cooking, add oil to the pan and brown the potatoes for about 5 minutes.
3. Add corn, red pepper, onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp of the Tony Chachere seasoning, and salt and pepper to the potatoes. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Make the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Add milk and whisk til smooth. Add mustard, 1/4 Tony Chachere seasoning (Careful- this stuff has kick!), nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens.
   Lower the heat and stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano.
5. Combine everything and broil: Add the corn-potato mixture and the white sauce to the pasta in the pot and stir together.
6. Transfer to a casserole dish, and top with the cheddar cheese, bacon, and reserved red bell pepper. Broil until brown and bubbly, about 5 minutes.