Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

5 from 2 votes

What's better than macaroni and cheese? Macaroni and cheese WITH bacon!

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, macaroni and cheese

Servings: servings

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

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.

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.