What’s better than macaroni and cheese? Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon!
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
With a good dose of three cheeses, sharp cheddar, herbed goat cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano, and a generous handful of crispy bacon, I can easily call this the best macaroni and cheese recipe ever!
🛒Ingredients needed:
- garlic
- parsley
- white bread
- butter
- bacon
- pasta
- milk
- flour
- thyme, mustard powder, red pepper flakes and nutmeg
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- white cheddar cheese
- goat cheese
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
✏️How to make Bacon Macaroni and Cheese:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
PREPARE THE MAC and CHEESE:
- In a large skillet, sauté the bacon until it is almost crisp. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Spoon out the grease from pan, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Add the butter to the bacon drippings and heat to medium. When the butter sizzles, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly pour the hot milk into the flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles up and becomes thick. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the thyme, mustard powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then stir in 1 cup of the cheddar and the Chevre and Parmigiano cheeses.
- Stir the cooked pasta and cooked bacon into the cheese sauce. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. It will be soupy. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar onto the top, followed by the herbed breadcrumbs.
- Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to make sure the breadcrumbs aren’t browning too quickly. (If they are, just place a sheet of foil loosely over the top). Transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t worry if it looks a little soupy when you get it all in the pan. This is why the pasta is only cooked al dente (slightly firm), since it will have the opportunity to soak up more liquid when this bad boy is baked.
- You can easily double this recipe to serve 12 instead of 6.
- This recipe is also fun prepare in 6 individual sized ramekins.
- Leave out the bacon to make this a vegetarian dish.
✔️What to serve with Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon:
- This is a rich dish so it needs something lighter with it like a fresh green salad.
- My Basil Lime Fruit Salad would also make a great accompaniment.
- Serve this macaroni and cheese with a tall glass of iced tea or an ice cold beer.
★How to Store:
This recipe would make quite a lot for two people, so store leftovers in the refrigerator to enjoy over the next few days. If you’re more interested in saving it for a future day, the good news is that macaroni and cheese freezes very well. Just seal it in an air-tight container or a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 4 months.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- When this thing is baking, the scent of garlic fills the house, perking up everyone’s taste buds!
- The tangy flavors of the goat cheese and the sharp cheddar are excellent choices, and I love the addition of fresh thyme and red pepper flakes. This macaroni and cheese is packed with the best flavors.
- I love that it makes a good amount! It works for a dinner for two, with plenty of leftovers to enjoy for lunches.
Recipes Using Bacon:
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
What's better than macaroni and cheese? Macaroni and cheese WITH bacon!
Ingredients
CRUMBLY TOPPING:
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 3 slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
MAC and CHEESE:
- 6 ounces center cut bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces pasta (elbows or shells), cooked until very al dente (still the slightest bit crunchy or 2 to 3 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the box)
- 2¾ cups whole milk, heated until warm
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups (6-ounces) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
- 4 ounces herb and garlic flavored Chevre cheese (goat cheese), crumbled
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch casserole dish.
PREPARE THE CRUMBLY TOPPING:
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the garlic and parsley; pulse until they’re minced. Add the bread pieces and pulse until the bread turns into crumbs and the mixture is combined. Pour in the butter and pulse until mixed in. Remove the breadcrumbs to a bowl and set aside.
PREPARE THE MAC and CHEESE:
- In a large skillet, sauté the bacon until it is almost crisp. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Spoon out the grease from pan, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Add the butter to the bacon drippings and heat to medium. When the butter sizzles, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly pour the hot milk into the flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles up and becomes thick. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the thyme, mustard powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then stir in 1 cup of the cheddar and the Chevre and Parmigiano cheeses.
- Stir the cooked pasta and cooked bacon into the cheese sauce. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. It will be soupy. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar onto the top, followed by the herbed breadcrumbs.
- Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to make sure the breadcrumbs aren't browning too quickly. (If they are, just place a sheet of foil loosely over the top). Transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can easily double this recipe to serve 12 instead of 6.
- This recipe is also fun prepare in 6 individual sized ramekins.
- Leave out the bacon to make this a vegetarian dish
- Leftovers are wonderful; just reheat in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 812kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 53g, Saturated Fat: 28g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 135mg, Sodium: 1082mg, Potassium: 418mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1531IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 816mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This has rave reviews from the 5-6 times I have made it. I do a few enhancements. 1. Replace the mile with whipping cream. 2. Double the amount of bacon. 3. Substitute cayanne for the pepper flakes. 4. Double the bread topping…. the crunchy topping is the BOMB!!!!
Can I use sharpe cheddar cheese instead of white cheddar?
sure!
I used this recipe to create a gluten free/lactose free version and it was really great! My boys loved it. I substituted brown rice flour for all-purpose flour. I used lactose free yogurt cheese for the cheddar. The Cheviere and the Peccarino chesses are naturally lactose free. I used Trader Joe’s Brown rice and Quinoa fusilli for the pasta. then, I topped it off with Gluten free bread crumbs. Yummy and allergy free!!
This looks tasty, I’m going to try in tin the smoker…
What a great idea!
I used Kerrygold Aged Cheddar infused with Irish whiskey and wow, did it kick this dish up! Yes it is pricey, I think I had $35 in it at half the recipe, but considering it’s one of the best things I’ve ever put between my cheeks and gums, I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks!
Sounds fabulous!
Thank you for posting such a great recipe! I live out in a very rural part of southeast Virginia, so I had to work with what I had on hand, but I was very pleased with the result. Some time when I get into Virginia Beach I will splurge and visit Trader Joe’s to get the original ingredients. My husband and his friends are already impressed, so they will be wowed when I get to use the good stuff.
The smell of the garlicky breadcrumbs is wonderful. The guys were out in the cold all day and when they came in the house they wanted to know what smelled so good.
I made this dish after craving some good old comfort food, the only changes that I made was I mixed panko with the bread crumbs and I used half the amount of the goat cheese and more Parmesan. This dish is amazing!!! My family just raved about it and was already talki g about leftovers for lunch the next day….I am so making this for Super Bowl this weekend…thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
I made this with a few alterations. I used old (sharp) cheddar, and a pile of Kraft Italiano pre-grated cheese in the sauce, and then just the old cheddar on top. I used 1% milk (hahaha — trying to watch calories!!). Instead of fresh bread crumbs, I used panko crumbs. Along with the other herbs, I used onion powder and some dehydrated minced onion. And finally, I thought there was no such thing as too much garlic (in anything!) so I used three cloves instead of two with the crumbs. As it turns out, it WAS too much and overpowered the dish a bit.
I loved the mix of cheeses in the Italiano blend along with the cheddar. Thanks for this recipe. REALLY yummy!
(Please don’t be offended by the changes I made. I seldom follow a recipe exactly. I love experimenting with other people’s ideas!)
No offense taken- experiment away!