Yes, my dearhearts, this grown-up grilled cheese is exactly as good as it sounds. This recipe was born from the bargain bin. Two packages of brie, nearing their “sell-by” date, less than half price. Sign me up, right?

It was also born from a really bad day, and what better comfort food than macaroni and cheese? The end result was absolutely amazing. The saltiness of the bacon, the richness of the brie, the sweetness of gloriously caramelized onions… it all came together beautifully. Here’s how I made it:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb of pasta, cooked (I used a small bag of shells)
• 7oz of brie (remove the rind)
• 1/2 package of bacon, cut into bits
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1/2 stick of butter, split in half
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced into strips or rings
• 1/2  tsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 cup half & half
• 1/2 cup milk

Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside for later.

In a small sauce pan, add half butter and sauté the onion with the brown sugar until caramelized. Remove onions but don’t clean the pan. Set aside.

Preheat your broiler. If you don’t have a broiler, preheat oven to 400º.

In the same pan, heat the rest of the butter and the garlic, and add the flour until combined. Add the milk and half & half, stirring continuously as you bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and add the brie little by little until everything is melty and combined.

Toss the pasta in a casserole dish with the sauce, the caramelized onions and half the bacon. Stir it all up and toss under the broiler for 15 minutes, or bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

When done, stir again. Serve with fresh bacon bits.