It’s been practically forever since my last post. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I miss blogging but this is my busy season at work and I’ve been, well, busy. I thought I’d get ahead of it – I developed a bunch of recipes and took a bunch of photos so even if I was too busy to cook I could still post. But that obviously hasn’t happened. So, here’s a peace offering in the form of Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese. No, it’s not exactly healthy. But once in a while you need to indulge, and this is the perfect way to do it.
This recipe has been bouncing around in my head for the better part of a year and I only regret not making it sooner. The juicy, succulent pork blends perfectly with a rich four-cheese sauce and a touch of barbecue sauce. I roasted a pork shoulder especially for this recipe, but you could easily substitute pulled pork that you have leftover from another occasion – just adjust the amount of barbecue sauce accordingly. This mac and cheese shouldn’t be overly barbecue-y… just enough to give the dish a subtle flavor and to cut through the richness of the cheese.
Pulled Pork Macaroni & Cheese Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz ridged pasta (such as penne or, my favorite, cavatappi)
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs flour
- 1.5 cups skim milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz emmental cheese, shredded
- 2 oz asiago cheese, shredded
- 1 cup pulled pork (see recipe below)
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbs smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp dry sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 pound pork shoulder
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain.
- Melt the butter in the bottom of a medium pan set over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for several minutes, until it becomes a light caramel color. Whisk in the milk and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt.
- Toss the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce. Stir the pork and pasta into the cheese sauce.
- Combine the paprika, dry mustard, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub into all sides of the pork. Bake at 400-degrees for 2 hours. Flip the pork over and cook for another hour. Let rest for 15 minutes, then use two forks to shred the meat.
- Yields approx. 4 cups pulled pork.
I just made this tonight after having something similar in a restaurant (they added jalapeños and a panko bread crumb topping. It was phenomenal and got lots of “yummms” from my teenage son and a male friend of mine that was over for dinner. The only sub I made was on the emmental cheese because I couldn’t find it, so I used a smoked Gouda instead. It was awesome! Thank you do much for the recipe!!
I would LOVE to try that Jalapeno Popper Mac & Cheese you mentioned briefly. Is the recipe for that available?
Yup! Here you go: https://www.healthy-delicious.com/2011/09/jalapeno-popper-mac-and-cheese/