Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

I love Gnocchi. And I also love Mac and Cheese. I came across this recipe and thought I would faint! It was super easy, and it's really customizable! I love recipes that you can tweak and change and make them your own (partially because I hate following recipes). Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling, I consider it in the pasta family. I hope you enjoy this as much as my husband and I did. Perfect for the cold Fall evenings coming up!

Gnocchi Mac and CheeseRecipe adapted from thecuttingedgeofordinary

Ingredients:

1 lb store bought or homemade gnocchi
2 Tbsp butter or butter subst. (I used Brummel and Brown)
1 Tbsp garlic- minced
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 C shredded cheese- I used Tillamook mac and cheese blend (FABULOUS)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 C shredded Parmesan
4-5 slices bacon-cooked and crumbled
Parsley- Optional, as a garnish.

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cook gnocchi according to package, once they float to the top of the water take them out! You don't want to overcook it! Drain them and put them in a prepared baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and cook until you can smell it quite a bit. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles. then add milk. Continue to whisk it until slightly thickened about 4 minutes. Add cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted each time. Once it's melted and combined season with salt and pepper. Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan and crumbled bacon. Bake until they puff up and cheese is browned, about 30 minutes. Near the end of the 30 minutes sprinkle on some more cheese and let it get bubbly! Sprinkle with parsley. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving so the sauce can settle.