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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Baked macaroni and cheese recipe is a great way to get kids to eat spinach. The spinach is tossed with the macaroni and cheese, then baked, in this recipe. Then bacon, bread crumbs and more cheese are sprinkled on top of this yummy baked macaroni and cheese recipe.

* 1 lb. elbow macaroni (high-fiber macaroni is okay)
* 4 slices bacon
* 4 Tbsp. butter
* 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black-pepper
* 3 cups whole milk
* 1 5.2 oz container herb and garlic spreadable cheese (such as Boursin)
* 3-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
* 2 cups firmly-packed baby spinach leaves
* 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
* 1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan or spray with cooking spray.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions for "al dente." (In other words, if package says to cook macaroni 7 to 9 minutes, cook it 7 minutes.) Drain.
3. Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
4. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring 1 minute or so until flour turns golden.
5. Add salt and pepper. Slowly, whisk in milk, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. When mixture starts to boil around the edges of the pot, stir in herb cheese and 3 cups of the cheddar cheese until melted.
6. Place spinach and macaroni in a large bowl. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Toss well. Turn out into prepared baking dish. Crumble bacon on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Stir melted butter and Panko together. Sprinkle over top of macaroni and cheese.
7. Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Related : Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe