Loaded Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Mac & Cheese

This Loaded Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Mac & Cheese comes together in under 30 minutes! Thank you, Smithfield and the Virginia Pork Council, for sponsoring this delicious weeknight dinner idea.

When we were living in our RV, and moving from California to Virginia, coming up with dinner ideas to prep in my toddler-sized RV kitchen was a fun challenge. I’m not being sarcastic either, I really did enjoy finding ways to make our tiny house feel like home and that included home-cooked meals for my family. One-pot meals were especially appreciated because it meant fewer dishes to hand wash!

Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork Loin Filets were a staple in our freezer. We roasted them, grilled them and even cooked them in our slow cooker. Now that we are living in a house with a full-sized kitchen, I still find myself adding them to our weekly dinner menu! Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork products are slow-marinated and perfectly seasoned, made with 100% pork, packed with protein and contain no artificial ingredients. And I can grab it at my local Food Lion, Kroger, Walmart or Harris Teeter.

I used the Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Fresh Pork Loin Filet for this simple one-pot weeknight meal because it’s topped with real bacon. What pairs better with macaroni and cheese than bacon?

I like making macaroni and cheese in my pressure cooker because the pasta only needs to cook for 5 minutes, and you can do a quick release so it comes together so fast! You can serve this dish with a tossed green salad or side of vegetables for a family-friendly weeknight dinner.

Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Mac & Cheese

Servings: 6

Prep time: 10

Cook time: 10

Total time: 20

Ingredients:

1 lb. Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Fresh Pork Loin Filet, diced

1 T. olive oil

16 oz. dry rotini pasta

4 c. water

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. salt

2 T. butter

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c. milk

Cut pork loin filet into tiny, bite-sized pieces.

Press “sauté” on the electric pressure cooker. Heat olive oil and add half of the diced pork in a single layer in pressure cooker. Allow pork to cook for 1-2 minutes before stirring to endure a brown sear. Give it a good stir and continue to cook 2-3 more minutes until pork is done (it’s tender, juicy, and safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees).

Remove pork to a platter and repeat with the rest of the pork. Set pork aside to rest while the pasta cooks.

Turn pressure cooker off. Add pasta, water, pepper, salt, and butter and cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes. Do a quick release.

Remove lid and stir in milk and cheese. Stir, continuously until cheese has melted completely.

Pour macaroni and cheese into a serving dish and sprinkle with half of the diced pork. Stir. Top with remaining pork.

Smithfield wants to help at-home cooks reimagine mealtime with the Smithfield Fresh Pork “Shake It Up” Contest. Simply submit a photo of your original dish, along with a brief description on how you shake up your go-to recipes with Smithfield Fresh Pork before April 26^th to enter! 20 finalists will win a $100 gift card, and 1 grand prize winner will take home $5,000! For more information and recipe inspiration, visit Smithfield.com.

The Virginia Pork Council seeks to educate those of us who live in Virginia about the pork industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They also seek to improve the quality of pork products produced. Click here for more recipe inspiration!

Loaded Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Mac & Cheese

This Loaded Applewood Smoked Bacon Pork Mac & Cheese comes together in under 30 minutes for a delicious weeknight meal.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 745kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Fresh Pork Loin Filet diced
• 1 T. olive oil
• 16 oz. dry rotini pasta
• 4 c. water
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 T. butter
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 c. milk

Instructions

• Cut pork loin filet into tiny, bite-sized pieces.
• Press “sauté” on the electric pressure cooker.
• Heat olive oil and add half of the diced pork in a single layer in pressure cooker.
• Allow pork to cook for 1-2 minutes before stirring to endure a brown sear.
• Give it a good stir and continue to cook 2-3 more minutes until pork is done (it’s tender, juicy, and safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees).
• Remove pork to a platter and repeat with the rest of the pork. Set pork aside to rest while the pasta cooks.
• Turn pressure cooker off.
• Add pasta, water, pepper, salt, and butter and cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes.
• Do a quick release.
• Remove lid and stir in milk and cheese.
• Stir, continuously until cheese has melted completely.
• Pour macaroni and cheese into a serving dish and sprinkle with half of the diced pork. Stir.
• Top with remaining pork.

Notes

Alternatively, you can use your favorite macaroni and cheese recipe and add cooked pork to it in the end.

Nutrition

Calories: 745kcal

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield and the Virginia Pork Council.

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