Disney Recipes: Pepper Bacon Mac and Cheese – Epcot’s Farm Fresh Marketplace

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival is now feeding Walt Disney World guests in full force as they taste their way around the World Showcase and Future Showcase. Running from September 25-November 16, this is the perfect place for those Disney fans who also happen to be fans of food and wine as well. But what happens when it is over? Where can these delectable tastes be enjoyed?

Thanks to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2015 cookbook, the tastes of theEpcot International Food & Wine Festival can now be recreated in home kitchens around the world. This year’s cookbook is extra special as theEpcot International Food & Wine Festival celebrates 20 years! So it includes recipes, photos, and memories of the past two decades of this special event.

For those who aren’t able to make it to Epcot for this special cookbook, the Disney Parks Blog offered a recipe from its pages. It is for Pepper Bacon Mac and Cheese and looks delicious.

Disney Recipes: Pepper Bacon Mac and Cheese – Epcot’s Farm Fresh Marketplace

Servings: 6

Pepper Bacon Macaroni

• 1 pound macaroni
• 8 slices pepper bacon
• 1/2 cup diced white onions
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 3 small jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

Cheese Sauce

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 pound (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 pound (1 cup) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 pound sliced American cheese
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded Gruyere cheese

Topping

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 slices pepper bacon, cooked and chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For pepper bacon macaroni:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook pepper bacon until crisp. Chop and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of grease.
3. Heat grease in a medium-skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. Add onion, green pepper, red pepper and jalapeño. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are warm, but still crisp. Set aside.

For cheese sauce:

1. Heat cream in large saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to simmer, slowly stir in all of cheese, mixing well to melt cheese.

To assemble and serve:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine cooked pasta, vegetables and cheese sauce in a large bowl.
3. Pour into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Once you have recreated this recipe, take a picture of it and let us know how it turned out! We love to hear how these recipes actually taste at home and what modifications you may make to improve them!