The BEST Four Cheese Macaroni with Bacon in the Air Fryer

I have to mention a few things about this recipe. First of all, thank you SO MUCH to my Nana who gave me her Air Fryer. This was the first recipe I made with it and oh my GOSH, literally the best Macaroni and Cheese I have EVER had [no joke]. Second, the Air Fryer came with some recipe cards and I couldn't find the recipe online. This was an Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer and has a recipe card with his name on it. I did use different types of cheese than what was listed but our version is below. I also added what the original version covered so you know. Also, like always, bacon makes everything better so we replaced the bread crumbs with bacon but added them after it was cooked all the way.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cup half and half

salt and pepper, to taste

8oz Gruyere cheese (his recipe calls for 2oz of Gruyere and 8oz of good-quality Parmesan cheese)

2oz Mozzarella cheese

2oz Cheddar cheese

2oz Parmesan cheese

(He also added 2oz Fontina cheese)

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

bacon, bacon, and bacon

Directions:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and stir to combine and cook, stirring constantly for three minutes. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half, little by little. Cook for 4-5 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add salt, pepper, and all of the cheeses. Stir until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth and cover. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat. Add salt and add the macaroni. Reduce heat to a low boil for about five minutes or until the macaroni is slightly undercooked. Drain in a colander and transfer the macaroni to the saucepan with the sauce. Stir well.

Spray the baking pan and transfer the macaroni to the pan. We added cheddar cheese on top but the original recipe says to add breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and set the fryer to 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the basket and allow to sit for five minutes. We added the bacon, crumbled, after it was done cooking. Enjoy!! This recipe, to me, was 5-stars and one of the BEST I have had. Let me know if you tried it below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️