Baked Sage Derby Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and bacon bathed in a rich, cheesy, slightly green sauce then topped with a crisp, cheesy crumb topping. The sauce has a mild sage flavor which comes from the fun, marbled green cheese.

Today I’m sharing one last St. Patrick’s Day recipe, and it’s one you’re going to want to try. The recipe was inspired by the Sage Derby cheese I had the pleasure of sampling on a recent tour of Harmons Grocery Store. I’ve teamed up with Harmons to create this recipe, and Harmons is generously giving away a $250 gift card to one lucky winner. Details on how you can win are at the bottom of this post.

Rachael, Today’s Mama, arranged for a group of Utah bloggers to tour the Bangerter Crossing Harmons Grocery Store, and Bob and Randy were our tour guides. If you haven’t visited it, it’s a fabulous grocery store and worth going out of your way to shop there. Harmons is committed to using quality, local Utah’s Own Products and is a cut above your average grocery store. While we were there, we were able to sample lots of wonderful Harmons fresh baked goods, as well as luscious cheeses, including the fun, green marbled cheese I used in this mac and cheese recipe, Sage Derby.

According to Cheese.com

Sage Derby is a variety of British Derby cheese infused with sage to produce a glorious green marbling effect and subtle herb flavor. Hard to find these days, it is England’s oldest and most famous cheeses originally made only for special occasions such as Harvest and Christmas.

Fortunately for those of us living in Utah, Sage Derby cheese is easy to find. Harmons has a fantastic cheese section, filled with wonderful new cheese, and a cheesemonger to help you decide which cheese goes best with whatever you’re whipping up.

While I was at Harmons buying the cheese, I also picked up some fun ruffled Radiatori noodles to try. Of course, regular macaroni or shells would be perfect in this recipe as well.

The cheese sauce is easy to put together because it starts with evaporated milk. It might look like more sauce than you need, but while it bakes the noodles will soak up lots of the cheesy goodness.

This mac and cheese is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or really any day of the year. For more St. Patrick’s Day recipe ideas visit my St. Patrick’s recipe roundup. Also, be sure and enter the $250 Harmons Gift Card giveaway – details below.

Baked Sage Derby Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 8 servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 (14 ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 ounces Derby Sage cheese, grated
• 1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni or shells
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Topping

• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Prepare topping and set aside. Cook macaroni according to cooked according to package directions and drain.

In a large saucepan, combine evaporated milk, mustard, salt and red pepper. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese a handful at a time until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

Stir in cooked pasta, bacon and parsley. Pour macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish.

Prepare topping: In a small bowl toss together the Parmesan, panko, and parsley. Sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs over macaroni and cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Serve immediately.

ENTER TO WIN!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win a $250 Harmons Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Harmons Grocery Store, but all opinions expressed are always my own.  You can find Harmons on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.