55 mins

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400g elbow/spiral pasta

250g streaky bacon, (diced)

4 fresh jalapeños, (3 deseeded finely diced & 1 sliced into rounds)

4 cups/1 litre milk (at room temp)

250g freshly grated cheddar

150g shredded mozzarella

80g freshly grated Parmesan (save half for top)

¾ cup/45g Panko breadcrumbs (or enough to lightly cover everything)

3 heaped tbsp flour (60g)

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Oil spray (as needed)

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1. Fry bacon in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat until crispy with the fat rendered (or regular pan then transfer to baking dish later). Add 3 diced and deseeded jalapeños and fry for a couple of minutes until soft.

2. Melt in the butter then stir in the flour to form a roux. Very gradually add in the milk, stirring as you go to avoid lumps (can use a whisk if required). Add mustard, hot sauce, onion & garlic powder and a good pinch of salt & black pepper. Allow to gently simmer for around 5 mins until the sauce thickens and begins bubbling.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C and cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (take a few mins off the packet instruction, you want it still a little hard).

4. Turn off the heat for the sauce and stir in all of the cheddar & mozzarella and half of the parmesan. It will be quite stringy at this point, but it smooths out once the pasta is tossed through and everything has baked. Taste for seasoning/spice and adjust if needed.

5. Drain pasta and stir through the sauce. If you're using a baking dish transfer everything now. Top with parmesan, followed by breadcrumbs and a very liberal spray of oil. Place in the oven for 10mins, then swiftly remove and sprinkle over the sliced jalapeños. Place back in the oven for another 10-15mins, or until golden, bubbly and visibly crisp on top. Serve with more hot sauce if desired!