Mac and Cheese BLT’s

These mini-sandwiches use Cabot’s Farmhouse Cheddar Mac and Cheese as the “bread” for BLT’s, or any of your favorite sandwiches. They make great appetizers for any party or gathering, snacks for the kids or a special treat for a family dinner.        

Ingredients

1 pound pasta (Fideo, Pastina or small shells)
16 ounces Cabot Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar, grated (about 4 cups)
3 cups milk
8 tablespoons Cabot Unsalted Butter
8 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices of bacon
2 to 3 small to medium tomatoes
2 cups of spring mix or arugula

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Lightly coat an 11 x 17 baking sheet with the olive oil.

COOK noodles until almost done (al dente), drain, place in a large bowl and set aside.

MELT butter in a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan over medium heat and stir in flour, a little at a time, with a whisk until it is well blended. Continue stirring, until the flour has lightly browned. Slowly add the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.

ADD the cheese and stir until melted. Adjust heat to low. Stir in the herbs and let cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

ADD half of the sauce to the pasta and stir to combine, then stir in the remaining half.

SPOON the mac and cheese onto the baking sheet and spread until the sheet is filled evenly. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until it has started to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely.

COOK the bacon while the mac and cheese is cooling. Halve each slice of bacon and set aside. Slice the tomatoes so that they will be a size similar to the mac and cheese “bread slices”. Prep the lettuce to this size also.

CUT the mac and cheese when cooled using a cookie cutter or sharp knife and assemble the “sandwiches”. Insert a toothpick into each “sandwich”, and garnish the toothpick with an olive, cube of cheese or other garnish of your choice.

Recipe courtesy of Jimmy Kennedy.