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Hello everyone! I’m so excited to bring you my very first Disney inspired recipe! This recipe is inspired by Casey’s Corner – the famous hot dog restaurant on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. If you know Disney, you know that Disney FOOD is some of the best in the world. They even have an entire add on option for their tickets dedicated JUST to dining. Even though you’re not in the land of the mouse, that doesn’t mean you can’t replicate some of those flavors at home!
For Christmas this year, I got an Instant Pot. I’m already so in love with it, and while tinkering with it I figured out how to make a killer macaroni and cheese. That got me thinking about one of my favorite dishes – the Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Hot Dog at Casey’s Corner. Casey’s Corner specializes in fun and crazy hot dogs, and what’s crazier than macaroni on a hot dog??
So first things first – make sure you have an Instant Pot. If you haven’t gotten one already, get one NOW. It’s LIFE CHANGING! Soups, pasta dishes, yogurt, boiled eggs – it can literally do everything. I have the 3 quart version because it’s just me and Chris, and it still makes PLENTY of food. We always have at LEAST two servings of leftovers from whatever recipe we make!
Getting Started
There really aren’t too many ingredients to this dish and it’s very quick to make. A few notes on why I chose some of the things I chose:
- Because I was feeling fancy, I bought fresh hot dog buns from the bakery at my local store. However any hot dog buns will do for this recipe!
- Instead of bacon BITS, I got bacon PIECES. They’re a bit larger and have more flavor, in my opinion, than the bits. It’s less synthetic than the bits as well and more like full pieces of bacon!
- You can add salt and pepper to taste in both the water for your pasta or the water for your hot dogs while they’re cooking.
Tips and Tricks
After gathering ingredients, add your pasta and water to the instant pot and get a pot of water boiling for the hot dogs. Because there is not a TON of pasta or water in this recipe, the preheat time is rather quick. I believe it took only 3-4 minutes before it started the 6 minute countdown.
The hot dogs need about 6-7 minutes to cook in the boiling water (remove from heat!) so I did this while the instant pot was venting.
For the cheeses, I chose two strong cheeses that I felt would compliment each other well. I always go with sharp cheddar and decided to experiment with the monterey jack this time – and it turned out GREAT. I used more cheddar than monterey jack but feel free to change it up to suit your personal preferences.
Use the saute setting to melt the cheese. This will only take about 2-3 minutes, and then remove from heat to prevent it from burning the bottom of your pan! Spoon on to your hot dog, add the bacon bits, and you’re done!
You’re going to have lots of leftover macaroni and cheese. A LOT. This recipe can easily make 6 hotdogs (aka a whole package) and then will still give you some to eat for a midnight snack later.
Find the detailed recipe below. I’d love to hear what you guys think in the comments!
Casey's Corner Inspired Macaroni and Cheese Hot Dog - Featuring the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
Macaroni and Cheese
- 2 cups dry macaroni pasta
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 cup fat free evaporated milk
- 2 cups water
Other Ingredients
- 2 tbsp bacon bits
- 6 beef hot dogs or however many you're planning on serving. I put 6 here because this recipe makes EASILY enough to serve 6 hotdogs, if not more!
- corresponding number of hot dog buns
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to "Manual" mode and set the timer for 6 minutes. Make sure the vent is sealed and add the water and pasta to the pot. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the water. Remember the pot needs to preheat before the 6 minute countdown will begin.
- While the Instant Pot is cooking, boil a small pot of water to cook the hot dogs in. I prefer this method to microwaving - if it's summer, feel free to throw them on the grill! Wait till the water is boiling, then remove from heat and cook the hotdogs for 6-7 minutes.
- After the 6 minutes are up on the Instant Pot, let it vent for an additional 6 minutes before quick venting the rest of the pressure.
- Change the mode on your Instant Pot from Manual to Saute. Add the cheese, evaporated milk, and mustard. Stir until melted.
- Put the hot dogs in the buns and spoon the macaroni onto the hot dog. Sprinkle a tablespoon of bacon bits per hot dog on the macaroni. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Calories are estimated. I used reduced fat cheese and fat free evaporated milk to try and cut calories, but who are we kidding? It's macaroni and cheese! Additionally to save calories you can use turkey dogs instead of beef hot dogs and remove the bun.
- Use caution when venting on the Instant Pot!
- The recipe for the macaroni is going to yield you LOTS of leftovers. If you want to use it purely as a topper and don't want as much left over, cut the recipe in half. Although I will warn you - you'll want to keep eating the macaroni even after the hot dog is long gone!
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