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Whether you’re hosting a summer barbecue, game day party or dinner party with friends, macaroni & cheese is always a crowd favorite. It’s the perfect side or entree and super simple to prep before hand.
This week, we wanted to elevate our classic four-cheese mac & cheese. It’s no secret what the magic ingredient is (because it’s literally in the title), but bacon is quote-unquote the star of the show in this dish. It’s a wonder that such an effortless addition can create a different flavor profile.
Keep reading to see how to make the recipe and recipe tips to create the perfect bacon mac and cheese.
LOOKING FOR MORE SIMPLE DINNER RECIPES? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Loaded Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Nachos
- Bacon Cheese and Chive Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Crispy Crab Cakes with Spiced Aioli Sauce
Bacon Mac and Cheese
What You’ll Need
- Your Choice of Macaroni Pasta
- Bacon
- Butter
- Flour
- Seasonings
- Greek Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheddar Cheese
- Gruyere Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
How to make Bacon Mac and Cheese
Prep Your Ingredients
Before doing anything, we recommend prepping all the ingredients. This includes lining any pans and baking dishes, grating cheese and measuring out all the other ingredients needed in the recipe.
Make the Bacon
Making the bacon in the oven creates chewy and slightly crispy bacon pieces. We also love cooking bacon in the oven because it’s super simple clean up and you don’t have to worry about grease splatter.
Cook Pasta
Next, you’ll want to cook your pasta. You can choose any type of macaroni pasta you would like, and cook the pasta based on the instructions on the back of the box. Once the pasta is cooked, transfer it back to the pot and toss it in a drizzle of olive oil to avoid the pasta from sticking together while you prep the rest of the recipe — before combining all the ingredients.
Whip Together the Cheese Sauce
To make the cheese sauce, you’ll start by making simple rue of butter and flour, and then adding in the rest of the ingredients — including the seasonings, greek yogurt, milk, and all four cheeses.
Combine & Bake
Once the cheese sauce is combined, add the cooked pasta and bacon bits to the pasta. Pour the bacon Mac & cheese into the prepped baking dish and top with a sprinkle more of cheese. Bake the pasta in the oven until slightly golden brown on top. Then, enjoy with friends and family!
Other cheeses to try in Mac and Cheese
While sharp cheese options are a must in Mac & cheese, you can experiment and add some different flavors of cheese to the recipe. Some cheeses that would taste delicious in this bacon Mac & cheese recipe are:
- Parmesan
- Gouda
- Smoked Gouda
- Monterey Jack Cheese
What’s the easiest way to cook bacon?
In our opinion, cooking bacon in the oven is the easiest method. It’s super simple to do and the clean up is incredibly quick. Here is the step by step method for cooking bacon in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil.
- Place the strips of bacon next to each other, until the tray is full or you have your desired amount.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let the bacon cool for a few minutes.
How to cook al dente pasta…
Al dente = the perfect balance between crunch and crumbly!
- Follow package instructions. It is important to pay attention to the package instructions, because each noodle type can have a different cook time.
- Test the pasta as you go. Sample the pasta as you cook to see how well don’t the pasta is. You want to make sure the pasta is still firm in the center but not crunchy. If it is crunchy, cook for a bit longer and test again.
- How does the pasta look and feel? Your pasta should be chewy, not crunchy or crumbly. When you bite into the pasta, there shouldn’t be a white center.
How to store & reheat mac and cheese
Refrigerator: Allow the mac & cheese to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Allow the Mac & cheese to cool completely. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3-6 months.
Thawing Frozen Mac & cheese: Place the frozen Mac & cheese in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Reheat the Mac & cheese in the microwave or oven. If using the oven, set the temperature to 350°F, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated all the way through.
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Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Description
A delicious mac & cheese made with 4 different cheeses, sprinkled with bacon bits and baked to perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 8 strips bacon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and lay 8 strips of bacon on the pan in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven to cool and reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is cooked, strain out water. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pasta and mix to coat. The butter will make sure the pasta doesn’t stick together in one clump.
- While pasta is cooking, grate cheese. Combine all the grated cheese into one bowl and toss together to mix. Set aside.
- Make your cheese sauce: Start by making the roux for the sauce. In a dutch oven or deep skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter until just bubbling. Add in flour and whisk until it thickens.
- Add paprika, onion and garlic powder, dijon mustard to the roux and whisk to combine. Pour milk and yogurt to the skillet and whisk until it all comes together.
- Add in half of the cheese mixture to the sauce, whisking until melted. Save the other half of the mixture for topping.
- Remove the cheese sauce from heat. Pour cooked pasta into sauce, and chopped bacon bits. stirring to coat all the pasta with the cheese sauce.
- Pour the cheesy pasta into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the cheese onto is turning a golden brown color.
- Once cooked, remove from oven and cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Cuisine: American
