Herbed and Baked Mac and Cheese

This is a variation of a recipe I found in Sunset Magazine. It's delicious and filling!

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 12  ounces elbow macaroni
• 3  Morningstar Farms veggie bacon strips (or any bacon substitute)
• 3  tablespoons  melted butter
• 1  teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1  teaspoon basil
• 1  teaspoon rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  garlic salt
• 1⁄4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup cream cheese
• 1⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1  cup  shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1⁄2 cup  Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain and set aside in another bowl.
2. While pasta is cooking, fry veggie bacon strips ‘til crisp, then chop into small pieces.
3. In the warm pasta pot, add whipping cream, cream cheese, half of the shredded cheddar, 2 tablespoons of the butter, herbs, garlic salt, onions and the bacon strips.
4. Stir until melted and blended well, then mix with the pasta.
5. Transfer macaroni and cheese into a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
6. In small bowl, combine the rest of the melted butter with the breadcrumbs, then sprinkle over mac and cheese.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
8. Tips: Any fragrant herbs would be good in this recipe. If you’d like to use fresh ones, use a ¼ cup of each. If you’re willing to shell out the extra bucks for the brie like the original recipe calls for, you can replace a half cup of it for the whipping cream. Also, I used garlic salt to be quick, but fresh garlic and some sea salt would work well.