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.
I made this for my boyfriend and it was amazing. I cut the recipe in half and and still had leftovers. I agree that buying all those cheese is a little expensive (espcially the goat cheese. 4 oz cost me $5 at Giant.) but it was still excellent. I loved the garlicky bread crumbs on top. I didnt have any bread in the house and didnt want to buy a loaf just for this so i bought a big kaiser roll and used that. turned out perfectly. I dont like to make less fattening versions of food. I prefer to go full fat, and eat it less often. I like to make this for special occasions.
Not sure why everyone said it was pricey. I shop at Trader Joes in SoCal. I used a sharp cheddar regular color, TJ’s herbed chèvre, and I had some grated Parmesan on hand (from TJ’s also).
To save money on the bacon I used TJ’s bacon pieces which is about a dollar cheaper and you get 16 oz instead, it fried up crisp and beautiful like the sliced bacon. I put it all in.
I did not have any dry mustard so I added about 2 tsp of Dijon.
I had to alter the recipe slightly because I have a very picky eater. I did not use any of the spices except for the salt and pepper. I also added about 3 fresh jalapeños. I forgot to add the pepper flakes which my family could have handled because we like spicy!
For the top, I used a TJ’S baguette about 2/3’s of it crust and all. I also put all of the cheddar in the mix and used the 1/2 cup of Parmesan on top with the breadcrumbs.
As far as the picky eater who has always turned his nose up at the mention of mac and cheese, he loved it. Of course I did not call it mac and cheese, I referred to it as pasta with bacon and cheese!
He liked it so much he invited his high school buddys over to have some. So that huge casserole went really quick! I was already asked when could I make it again!
Thanks for all of the great tips!
Im planning to make this for valentines day, but for just two people. I don’t mind leftovers but when you say half the recipe you mean half everything right?
yes, half of everything will make half a recipe 🙂
This is DELICIOUS! Thank you! I have never cooked with cream/milk before and appreciate your detailed instructions. Simply amazing flavors and a few notes for other cooks looking to try this. Milk products are the most commonly referred to antidote for hot peppers so do not fear the modicum of pepper this calls for. In fact I added a quarter tsp of cayanne pepper powder and white pepper powder in addition to the dose of red pepper flakes just to draw out that hint of heat. And I fouled up on measuring the fresh parsley so the bread crumbs had a notable green tint. And if you are on a tight budget this would be a splurge as here in northern CA suburban grocery store took $80 for the ingredients. But it is worth it and will definitely impress any guest. Will definitely bookmark this site for more delicacies!
Wow! Tried this with a few modifications (non-herbed goat cheese, dried parsley and store-bought breadcrumbs) Definitely recommend to make sure all ingredients are prepped and milk is VERY warm (not boiling though) before you start butter/flour steps, otherwise it take a bit longer to get the milk mixture to thicken. Absolutely delicious and even better reheated for lunch today (reheated on 80% power)! Only used a portion of the pepper flakes and it had just the right spice for me. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I will repeat it.
This was really good! I halved the recipe but for future reference I will keep the topping for the full recipe…it couldve used more breadcrumbs but very good nonetheless!
Thank you! 🙂
Hi,
I am planning to make this for a birthday party dinner… is it a little spicy with the pepper flakes? Just wondering if I should take it out for the kids. I am planning to make it a day before and reheat the night of – it’s just as delicious, right?
I didn’t think it made the dish spicy, but you can leave them out easily enough if you’re worried about the kids. Enjoy!
Hi Lori,
I just found your blog and LOVE your recipes! I’m curious about making this dish ahead of time? Maybe refrigerate overnight before the baking process? Any ideas?
Thank You!
Hmmm, haven’t tried that. I suppose it might work, though I worry about the pasta having the time to soak up the liquid. Let me know if you try the make-ahead method and how it turns out!
I actually made this. Thank you for the great dinner. The only thing was the cost. The cheeses are quite expensive. Not something you would make on any random night.
@deann williams, Agreed!
Awesome.