Mac ’n’ cheese has survived all sorts of substitutions over the years, so I think it can handle one more. This time, there is no macaroni, no veggies, or anything else from the plant kingdom. In this recipe, the job of the “mac” goes to pork rinds, and they take their new responsibility surprisingly well.
This recipe is the carnivore version of my famous Quick and Easy 5-Ingredient Cauli ’n’ Cheese, one of those old recipes that has remained popular for a good reason. That 12-year-old recipe of mine replaces macaroni with cauliflower and covers it with a rich Cheddar sauce. For this version, I sent the cauliflower on vacation and put the pork rinds to work.
Of course, dry pork rinds straight from the bag would be far too crunchy for the task. Soaking them in warm bone broth for a couple of minutes softens them slightly and gives them a tender, pleasantly chewy texture before they meet the cheese sauce. They don’t impersonate macaroni perfectly — which, in this case, is only a positive thing.
The sauce stays wonderfully simple as well as heavenly smooth and velvety: heavy cream, an egg, and plenty of shredded Cheddar. The pork rinds, broth, and cheese already contain salt, so there is usually no need to add any. Five ingredients go in, and a very rich, cheesy carnivore meal comes out. Not bad for a saucepan and a few minutes of stirring.
There is just one important rule: eat it right away. The pork rinds continue soaking up the sauce as the dish sits and will eventually become soggy. Fortunately, a bowl of hot pork rinds smothered in a scrumptious Cheddar sauce rarely has to wait long for volunteers.
Helpful Tips
Shred your own cheese. Bagged shredded cheese often contains potato starch or cellulose, which isn’t carnivore-friendly and can make the sauce slightly grainy.
Choose your pork rinds carefully. Many brands contain seasonings, sugar, or seed oils. Look for ones made from just pork skin and salt. The plainer, the better. Denser rinds or chicharrones hold their shape better than the very puffy, airy ones and give a more pasta-like bite.
Don’t oversoak. There’s a fairly narrow window between tender and sadly soggy, so keep an eye on the rinds while they soak. If you think you cannot work fast enough with your sauce while the rinds are soaking, skip the soaking altogether and add the rinds to the sauce without soaking them first. This is also good if you prefer a bit of crunch in your dish.
Taste before adding anything. Pork rinds, bone broth, and Cheddar are all salty on their own, so the dish rarely needs extra salt. If yours does, add it at the very end — after tasting the dish first.
Serve right away. The pork rinds keep absorbing the sauce, so the dish is at its best within a few minutes of mixing. Wait too long, and you’ll have a very thick, very rich casserole with super soft pork rinds — still tasty, but no longer saucy.
Want to bake it? Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Pour the mixture into a 2.5 qt (2.4 l) baking dish, sprinkle 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) shredded Cheddar on top, and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep the baking time short, as the sauce firms up quickly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Take 4 oz (115 g) of pork rinds.
Break them into bite-sized pieces, roughly the size of macaroni or slightly larger.
Place the pork rind pieces in a large bowl.
Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of warm bone broth over the pork rinds.
Stir well.
Let the pork rinds soak while you prepare the cheese sauce. Stir them once or twice during soaking so that every piece gets its turn in the broth.
Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of heavy cream into a large saucepan.
Add 1 pastured egg.
Whisk until well combined.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly…
…until it begins to bubble gently and thickens slightly. Keep stirring — scrambled eggs are not part of today’s plan.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Add 2 1/2 cups (9 oz / 250 g) of shredded Cheddar little by little while stirring constantly.
Continue stirring…
…until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and velvety.
Add the soaked pork rinds. If any bone broth remains in the bowl, save it for another use.
Stir until every piece is thoroughly coated in the cheese sauce. Nobody gets to escape naked.
Serve immediately, while the pork rinds are tender and pleasantly chewy.
Don’t leave the dish waiting around — the pork rinds will continue absorbing the sauce and eventually become soggy.
Yum!
Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy:
Carnivore Mac 'n' Cheese
Mac ’n’ cheese has survived all sorts of substitutions over the years, so I think it can handle one more. This time, there is no macaroni, no veggies, or anything else from the plant kingdom. In this recipe, the job of the “mac” goes to pork rinds, and they take their new responsibility surprisingly well.
This recipe is the carnivore version of my famous Quick and Easy 5-Ingredient Cauli ’n’ Cheese, one of those old recipes that has remained popular for a good reason. That 12-year-old recipe of mine replaces macaroni with cauliflower and covers it with a rich Cheddar sauce. For this version, I sent the cauliflower on vacation and put the pork rinds to work.
Of course, dry pork rinds straight from the bag would be far too crunchy for the task. Soaking them in warm bone broth for a couple of minutes softens them slightly and gives them a tender, pleasantly chewy texture before they meet the cheese sauce. They don’t impersonate macaroni perfectly — which, in this case, is only a positive thing.
The sauce stays wonderfully simple as well as heavenly smooth and velvety: heavy cream, an egg, and plenty of shredded Cheddar. The pork rinds, broth, and cheese already contain salt, so there is usually no need to add any. Five ingredients go in, and a very rich, cheesy carnivore meal comes out. Not bad for a saucepan and a few minutes of stirring.
There is just one important rule: eat it right away. The pork rinds continue soaking up the sauce as the dish sits and will eventually become soggy. Fortunately, a bowl of hot pork rinds smothered in a scrumptious Cheddar sauce rarely has to wait long for volunteers.
Ingredients
- 4 oz = 115 g plain pork rinds (about 6 cups, lightly packed)
- 1 cup = 240 ml bone broth, warm
- 1 cup = 240 ml heavy cream (without additives)
- 1 pastured egg
- 2 1/2 cups = 600 ml = 9 oz = 250 g shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Break the pork rinds into bite-sized pieces, roughly the size of macaroni or a bit larger. Place them in a large bowl.
- Pour the warm bone broth over the pork rinds and stir well. Let stand while you do further preparations. Stir once or twice during soaking.
- Place the cream and the egg in a large saucepan. Whisk until well combined.
- Heat the cream and egg mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to bubble gently and has thickened slightly.
- Turn the heat to the minimum. Add the cheese little by little while stirring the mixture constantly.
- Continue stirring until the cheese has melted completely, and the sauce is smooth and velvety.
- Add the soaked pork rinds (if there is any excess liquid, use it for other purposes). Stir well, making sure every piece is coated in the sauce.
- Serve immediately — the pork rinds will get soggy if the dish waits for too long.
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Tips for Variations
Once you have the basic version under your belt, you can give this carnivore comfort food a few different personalities. Some variations replace the pork rinds, while others simply make the cheese situation even more serious.
Use carnivore pasta
Replace the pork rinds with one batch of my carnivore pasta (or this one) and cut it into short, macaroni-sized pieces. There is no need to soak the pasta in bone broth. Fold it gently into the finished cheese sauce and heat until warmed through.
Try egg noodles
Thin baked egg noodles (i.e., whisked eggs fried in a skillet into a thin layer), cut into short strips, also make a good pork rind-free base. Add them to the sauce immediately before serving so they don’t become too soft or fall apart.
Make chicken “mac” and cheese
Replace the pork rinds with bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken. It won’t pretend to be macaroni, but chicken covered in creamy Cheddar sauce has no reason to apologize for anything.
Add ground beef
Brown 1 pound (450 g) ground beef in a skillet, drain it if necessary, and stir it into the finished dish. You can use it together with the pork rinds or leave the rinds completely out for a meaty cheeseburger-style version. Mmmmh, my mouth is really watering!
Bring in the bacon
Stir crisp, crumbled bacon into the finished dish or sprinkle it on top. Add it at the last moment if you want it to retain some crunch. Now my mouth is watering even more!
Turn it into seafood mac ’n’ cheese
Replace the pork rinds with cooked shrimp, crabmeat, lobster, or cubed wild-caught salmon. Fold the seafood into the finished sauce and warm it briefly without letting it overcook.
Change the Cheddar game
Sharp, extra-sharp, white, or smoked Cheddar will each give the dish a slightly different character. You can also replace part of the Cheddar with Gouda, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, or another melting cheese you tolerate. You can also add some blue cheese to make an incredibly flavorful sauce.
Make it even creamier
Replace part of the Cheddar with full-fat cream cheese or mascarpone. The sauce will be milder, thicker, and outrageously rich — this is definitely the version for days when subtlety has left the building.
Change the broth
Chicken, beef, or pork bone broth all work for soaking the pork rinds. Each one changes the background flavor slightly, so use whichever suits the rest of your meal — or whichever container is already staring at you from the fridge.
Skip the “mac” altogether
Leave out the pork rinds and bone broth and prepare just the Cheddar sauce. Spoon it over steak, burger patties, chicken, pork chops, meatballs, or eggs. Apparently, not every cheese sauce needs something pretending to be pasta.
Closing Thoughts
When I first considered replacing cauliflower with pork rinds in my old Cauli ’n’ Cheese recipe, I wasn’t entirely sure whether I would end up with carnivore comfort food or a bowl of cheesy rubble. Fortunately, the pork rinds behaved themselves on the first try.
The short soak in warm bone broth makes all the difference. It softens the rinds just enough while leaving them pleasantly chewy, and the cream, egg, and Cheddar turn into a smooth sauce that clings to every piece. The result doesn’t taste exactly like conventional mac ’n’ cheese, nor should it. Pork rinds have their own charms, especially when those charms are covered in melted Cheddar.
Just remember to serve the dish immediately. This is not a meal that benefits from sitting politely on the table while everyone finishes whatever they are doing. Call them once, grab your own portion, and let the latecomers learn an important lesson about punctuality.
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