‘bones’ mac ‘n cheese

As I mentioned in my last post, we’ve recently become fans of the medical/crime drama Bones. This is only to be expected as we are already fans of every other imaginable medical or crime drama. Apparently we’re quite easy to entertain. Anyhow, in one of the episodes there is mention of a restaurant that puts pancetta and leeks in their mac ‘n cheese and it is supposedly quite good, so I thought I’d give it a go. I kept it simple and just added pancetta and leeks to my trusty Better Homes and Gardens mac ‘n cheese recipe, and we loved the results. So here’s the recipe for mac ‘n cheese a la Bones.

1 cup dried elbow macaroni
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
6 oz american cheese
3 leeks, sliced
6-8 oz pancetta (I used the thin sliced kind, but if you were to cube a thicker cut I think that would be better)

Cook macaroni in unsalted water about 10 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain well.

For the cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion, leeks, and pancetta in the butter till onions and leeks are tender and the pancetta is a bit crispy. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till slightly thickened and bubbly. Add american cheese, stirring till melted. Stir in cooked macaroni. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart casserole.

Bake in a 350 oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.