Happy New Year y’all from Riche and Casey here at A Hungry Southern Belle.  After coming out of our post football season “depression” and now finally thawing out from the lovely winter weather Atlanta has been getting, we are back and ready to get on with a new year of recipes, restaurant reviews and other foodie fun!  There is so much to share that I’m not even sure where to start!  We had a fabulous trip to New Orleans for a wedding of a dear family friend that was not without checking out some of the local culture and yummy restaurants!  There have also been some new restaurants we’ve had the opportunity to check out that shouldn’t go without a mention but I’m going to save all of those fun stories for later because right now, it’s time for some comfort food!  We’ve been iced into the house the last few days with what a lot of people are calling SnoworIcemagedon 2014 and now it’s moving its way up the East Coast.  While sipping on a martini (or two) the other evening, I came up with a brilliant plan to use the pork tenderloin I had cooking in the crockpot and combine it with two of our other favorite dishes… lasagna and macaroni and cheese.  So let me present to you our Macaroni & Cheese Lasagna complete with shredded pork tenderloin!  (I just drooled a little remembering how yummy it was…)

**SPOILER – This is NOT Weight Watchers point friendly but once you take a bite of this cheesy goodness, you won’t care!!!***

Mac & Cheese Lasagna with Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

4 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Few squeezes of Sriracha hot sauce (to taste)

About 16 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

About 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

12 lasagna noodles

1 pork tenderloin, shredded (I cooked the tenderloin in a crockpot on low for at least 8 hours in a mixture of chicken broth, white wine and seasonings of choice.)

Panko bread crumbs (1/4 cup bread crumbs combined with 1/8 teaspoon paprika)

Directions:

1. Boil lasagna noodles in salted water. Drain and lay noodles out on cookie sheet while cheese sauce is prepared.

2. Make a roux with the butter and flour (in a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until it bubbles and then add flour – stir and cook until mixture is golden brown).

3. Slowly pour milk into the roux while stirring. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Stir in ingredients from salt through Cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

4. Remove cheese sauce from heat. Fold in sour cream.

5. Coat bottom of large casserole dish with cheese sauce. Layer 3 lasagna noodles. Cover with portion of cheese sauce.  Scatter shredded pork tenderloin.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese. Repeat with lasagna noodle-cheese sauce-pork tenderloin-Parmesan layers 3 more times.

6.  Sprinkle top with panko bread crumb mixture.

7. If lasagna is still hot, just place under broiler until top browns (5-10 minutes). If lasagna has cooled, then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until bubbling around edges and browned on top (20-30 minutes).