Baked Bacon Mac and Cheese
Get ready for the ultimate comfort food: Baked Bacon Mac and Cheese! This baked pasta is creamy, cheesy, and so delicious. Featuring crispy bacon, this dish is sure to impress even the pickiest of eaters!
Servings:4 people
Ingredients
- 12 oz macaroni elbows
- 3 tbsp butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp dry mustard
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz shredded cheese , see notes
- salt , to taste
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
- 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 and cook the macaroni elbows as per the packet instructions in boiling salted water until just about al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once it is frothy, whisk in the flour. Cook for a few minutes, still whisking so that the sauce won't taste of raw flour.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken broth until you have a smooth sauce. Whisk in the milk and raise the temperature to a medium high heat. Continue to cook, whisking often until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, garlic powder, dry mustard, cayenne and nutmeg before seasoning to taste with black pepper.
- Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in 2/3 of the cheese, along with the bacon pieces and the cooked macaroni. Season to taste with salt and a little more pepper, if needed.
- Transfer the macaroni to a butter baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese, followed by the breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the macaroni is bubbly and golden. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- A mix of sharp cheddar and gruyere works well in this recipe in a 3:1 ratio. However, any hard cheese you’ve got to use up in the fridge, or your favorites will also taste delicious!
- Grate your own cheese if you can as pre-shredded cheese tends to have additives to stop it from sticking in the bag that will change the texture of the sauce.
- Arguments were had testing this recipe if it included enough cheese. I like it this way and so did the majority of others, but some testers wanted more - so adding more cheese is totally an option!
- If you don’t have dry mustard to hand stir in 1 tsp of strong prepared mustard instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 894 kcal, Carbohydrates: 83 g, Protein: 37 g, Fat: 46 g, Saturated Fat: 22 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 116 mg, Sodium: 804 mg, Potassium: 585 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 8 g, Vitamin A: 954 IU, Vitamin C: 0.2 mg, Calcium: 438 mg, Iron: 3 mg