Last September 4 was mom's birthday. She may not be with us physically anymore but we still celebrate her special day so I went home to celebrate her birthday with my family. I came up with the idea to cook a mac 'n cheese pasta since it is rarely done in our family occasions. I want to do something different and I made this recipe with a twist. Instead of a plain mac 'n cheese pasta, I made this 3-cheese pasta and added some meat. If you are looking for something different to make for a special occasion, feel free to try this recipe I am about to share.

The Ingredients

The first thing to do is to prepare the ingredients. Here are the ones I used for this cheesy recipe.

Meat

• Bacon bits

• Ground beef (1/4 kilo)

• Salt

• Ground pepper

• Soy sauce

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• Cooking oil

• Garlic (chopped into bits)

Pasta and Sauce

• Elbow macaroni (400 grams)

• Fresh milk (1 liter)

• Butter

• Grated cheese

• Cheddar cheese spread

• Mozzarella cheese slices

Optional Ingredients

• Oyster sauce

• Paprika powder

Cook all Meat

After preparing the ingredients, cook all the meat. Fry the bacon bits first until you achieve the crispiness you want then set it aside. This will be used later for the toppings.

For the ground beef, I marinated this when I prepared the ingredients. This will add flavor to the beef. Marinate it in soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I added the optional ingredients, paprika powder and oyster sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.

After frying the bacon bits, cook the ground beef. Saute garlic until it turns light brown then put the ground beef. Cook in medium heat. Set aside after cooking.

Cook Macaroni in Sauce

Lastly, cook the macaroni. Saute garlic in butter this time. Pour the fresh milk and add a pinch of salt in it. Cover it until it boils. You may use evaporated milk as a substitute for fresh milk. Put the macaroni and cook it for a total of 15 minutes. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes to prevent the macaroni from sticking to the cookware.

After 8 minutes, put the grated cheese, followed by the cheddar cheese spread. You may use shredded cheddar cheese as a substitute for the cheddar spread. Add 1 tablespoon of paprika powder. Cook for another 7 minutes. Add water if the consistency becomes very sticky and make adjustments to the sauce until you achieve your desired results with the taste and consistency.

The Final Touch

After 15 minutes of cooking the macaroni in sauce, it's time to do the final touch. Put the mac 'n cheese in a container. Add the ground beef and mix it so it is properly distributed. Top it with the mozzarella slices while it's hot. You may use shredded mozzarella as a substitute. Add more beef for the toppings and sprinkle with bacon bits.

Here you go. The creamy, cheesy and meaty mac 'n cheese. You may also garnish this one with parsley. You will surely love the exploding cheese in its sauce that goes well with the chunky mozzarella, the flavorful beef and crunchy bacon bits. It's a snack that both kids and adults will enjoy. Have fun cooking and eating.