The Best Bacon Mac & Cheese
There’s not much that can’t be improved by the addition of bacon. It’s the secret ingredient in my award winning best chili recipe (there’s a reason it’s won over 50 first-place prizes!), the base of my ultimate potato soup, and it’s also Zach’s favorite food group. It’s the perfect balance of chewy, salty and smoky, and it’s the star of today’s bacon mac and cheese recipe. While this recipe is inspired by my classic baked mac and cheese, it’s not just that recipe with a bit of bacon tossed. No, today’s recipe is truly next-level. We start with a bacon and butter-based roux, use a fresh new blend of cheeses (don’t skip the gouda!), toss in some smoked paprika for incredible depth of flavor (it pairs so well with the bacon), and top things off with a crispy, buttery, and bacon-infused topping. I think you’re really going to love this one. Let’s get cooking!
What You Need
Most of the ingredients for bacon mac and cheese are to be expected (I’m looking at you—bacon, macaroni, and cheese) but there are a few others worth mentioning that make this dish a real crowd pleaser.
Macaroni. I like to use a classic macaroni noodles, but you could substitute another pasta of a similar size and shape if you really want to. Whatever you use, just make sure you don’t overdo your noodles, or they’ll fall apart in the macaroni cheese. For best results, cook 1 minute less than the package indicates and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. This also helps to prevent the macaroni from absorbing the cheese too quickly.Bacon. The star of the show! Use thick-cut bacon and make sure you cut it into small pieces. If your pieces are too large, they’ll seem too chewy and won’t distribute evenly. As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t want to use bacon, I do have instructions for a bacon-free version in the recipe notes.Butter. As part of our roux, butter might seem counter-intuitive when you could just use all bacon grease; however, I found that using all bacon grease gave the cheese a more oily consistency and caused it to try and separate, it just didn’t work as well. Trust me, the blend of bacon grease and butter is better! You can use either salted or unsalted butter. Flour. Another part of the roux, flour thickens the sauce in this bacon macaroni and cheese. Spices. Just a few spices elevate the flavor of this dish, rounding out the cheese and accentuating the bacon flavor. After lots of taste testing, I opt for garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard and smoked paprika (in addition to salt and pepper, of course).Milk. The final component in the roux, milk creates a silky base for our cheese sauce. I use whole milk, but a lower fat milk should work fine.Cheese. I highly recommend shredding your own cheese for this bacon macaroni and cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that prevent it from melting nicely, so if you want smooth, silky cheese, shred it yourself! I use a blend of yellow and white sharp cheddars (you can just use one if you like) and gouda to make sure the cheese flavor stands up to the bacon. Panko. To create a crispy, buttery top, I add some toasted panko bread crumbs to my bacon mac and cheese before baking. Make sure you use the seasoned version for this recipe.
SAM’S TIP: Bacon mac and cheese can be baked in any pan it fits in, and since it’s already cooked, you don’t need to increase the baking time. Do note that the panko topping amounts are for a 1.5 quart dish. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Bacon Mac and Cheese
This recipe comes together in just over 30 minutes, so you can have bacony, cheesy goodness fast. If you want to make it even quicker, you can skip baking and serve it right out of the pan. I suggest trying it baked though! SAM’S TIP: After baking, the longer the bacon mac and cheese sits, the more the noodles will absorb the cheese and the less saucy it will be. It still tastes great, but it just keep in mind that leftovers will just be more dry than when this dish is served fresh. While bacon mac & cheese makes a great standalone dish, I love serving it as a side to my pulled chicken, or even as the perfect hearty and cheesy companion to tomato soup (is that just me? Zach thinks macaroni and tomato soup together is weird)! Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
How to Cook Bacon in the OvenEasy Mac & Cheese (no flour/no roux)The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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