Johnny Jalapeno's 'jumpin Wagon Wheels!' Macaroni And Cheese

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 16 ounces large sized elbow macaroni noodles (or wagon wheels shape)
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups half & half light cream (or milk)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded gouda cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon habanero sauce (or hot pepper sauce)
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups cooked lean ham, cubed
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers (to your firey desire)
• 4 slices bacon, raw and cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 parmesan cheese
• 2 roma tomatoes, sliced thin (or plum tomatoes)

Recipe

• 1 macaroni: cook macaroni according to package and drain well. pour into a cast iron dutch oven (or crock pot), stir melted butter into the hot pasta and set aside.
• 2 cheese sauce: heat milk in a 2 quart sauce pan over medium heat until warmed. add the cheeses, stirring gently until melted. season to taste with habanero sauce, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper.
• 3 remove from heat and fold in the sour cream. slowly add the beaten eggs while wisking to incorporate. mix in the chopped ham and jalapenos.
• 4 assembly: pour the cheese sauce over the pasta (the macaroni will be soupy at this point, but it will absorb as it bakes).  note: dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.
• 5 bake: preheat oven to 350°f place bacon pieces over the top. in a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. sprinkle over top of macaroni and bacon.
• 6 bake approximately 30 minutes (longer if refrigerated) until hot. remove from oven and place tomatoes over top to resemble wagon wheels and sprinkle with a bit more black pepper if desired. place back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes. you can turn the oven off and keep warm for a little while til ready to serve.