This is the best baked bacon mac & cheese recipe because it combines perfectly cooked pasta with a three cheese sauce and crispy smoky bacon bread crumb topping! I love to treat my family to this dish during the holidays but it's simple enough for Sunday dinners or any ol' weeknight.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my mustard greens with smoked ham hocks, too!
Jump to:
- Is macaroni and cheese a Soul Food recipe?
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Baked Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Pro Tip #1: Shredding Cheese for Mac & Cheese
- Pro Tip #2
- Pro Tip #3
- Pro Tip #4: How to Crumble Bacon Easily
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Serve
- More Favorite Southern Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Is macaroni and cheese a Soul Food recipe?
The short answer is yes. The baked Black folks macaroni & cheese recipe that would become an icon of American cuisine, originated with James Hemings. Hemings was an African American man who was enslaved as Thomas Jefferson's classically trained chef. This easy homemade bacon mac and cheese with bacon builds on centuries of Black culinary tradition and ingenuity.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - Don't be intimidated by the historical and cultural significance of Black American macaroni and cheese. This recipe guide lays out all the steps and my pro tips to give you fabulous results on your very first try. Stick with me--I gotchu!
Unique Flavor - The holidays are ripe for busting out those showstopper dishes that call for love and care on the ingredient list, which is why I developed my extra cheesy gourmet baked mac and cheese with bacon for you.
Like any good southern lady, I have plenty more cheesy recipes for you to feast on: baked mac & cheese cups in a muffin tin, brussels sprouts gratin casserole, and brown butter garlic mac and cheese.
Made this for Sunday dinner and it was amazing. Perfectly cheesy and the crispy, salty bacon just really set it off. This will be making an appearance on my holiday table for SURE.
-reader review from Jessice
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Sharp Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, and Gouda Cheese add creamy, buttery, and tangy flavors with a touch of nuttiness. Shredded cheese is the ideal form to use when making homemade mac and cheese but the pre-shredded kind you might pick up at the grocery store isn't the best choice. I always recommend shredding the cheese yourself.
Pasta, of course. I also like to combine different shapes and in this recipe, recommend medium-sized elbows and cavatappi, aka corkscrew pasta to hold up to all three cheeses.
Spices as simple: sea salt, white pepper, and garlic powder.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Cheeses - If you want to add more smokiness to this dish, use smoked gouda. It works so well with the bacon.
Milk - Feel free to use dairy or plant-based milk in this recipe. I typically make mine with almond milk. You can also use half and half for extra creaminess in the roux sauce.
Bacon - Go for whichever kind of bacon you like to eat with breakfast. As a Texas gal, I'm partial to mesquite smoked bacon!
Bread Crumbs are optional but highly recommended for that extra razzle dazzle. You can use plain breadcrumbs or panko for extra crunch.
How to Make Baked Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Step 1: Bake the bacon on a sheet pan for quick and easy hands-of cooking.
- Step 2: Shred the cheese.
Pro Tip #1: Shredding Cheese for Mac & Cheese
I always recommend using a food processor with a shred disc attachment to shred cheese quickly and easily. You can shred several cups of cheese at the press of a button and in just a few minutes!
- Step 3: Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook just shy of al dente.
- Step 4: Make the cheese sauce by melting the butter then stirring in flour to form a roux. Stir in milk, seasonings, and shredded cheese.
Pro Tip #2
Slightly undercooking the pasta is one of my secrets to perfect texture in my. mac and cheese. Because the pasta will continue cooking in the oven, you don't want it to become overdone and, thus, too soft.
Pro Tip #3
Reserve a bit of the pasta water to add to your cheese sauce, if needed. This will thin it out a bit if it's too thick and stodgy.
- Step 5: Add drained pasta to cheese sauce and mix until completely coated.
- Step 6: Crumble the crispy cooked bacon then toss it with bread crumbs to form the topping.
Pro Tip #4: How to Crumble Bacon Easily
My mom taught me a simple, time-saving tip for making crispy bacon bits at home: Stack crispy cooked bacon on a few sheets of paper towel then fold and ball up the towels with the bacon inside. Squeeze and press to break the bacon into bits and repeat, as needed, to reach your desired size.
- Step 7: Bake until bubbly then top baked mac and cheese with bacon and breadcrumbs and return to oven until golden brown.
- Step 8: Let the dish set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can make the mac and cheese components (cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, and cheese sauce) up to three days in advance then assemble and bake the dish. You can also prep and assemble the dish then bake it day of.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container. Keeps for up to five days. And, in my opinion, baked mac n cheese is better on the second day!
To freeze, wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap then aluminum foil or wrap individual portions in aluminum foil then place in a freezer bag. Keeps for up to three months.
How to Serve
Once your old fashioned mac n cheese has set, serve it warm and gooey! I have a full Soul Food holiday recipe lineup of dishes that pair well and it also deserves a spot on your Sunday dinner menu.
And if you're whipping up this easy bacon mac and cheese recipe for a weeknight meal, match it with my roasted brown butter green beans or sweet and smoky brussels sprouts and easy honey mustard chicken or simple oven salmon.
More Favorite Southern Recipes
Looking for more recipes like this one? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this bacon cheddar mac and cheese soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Baked Bacon Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor or cheese grater
- 1 deep pot or Dutch oven
- 1 large skillet or saucepan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bacon
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup gouda cheese
- 18 ounces uncooked pasta macaroni elbows, shells, cavatappi corkscrews or a combination
- water
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅜ cup flour
- 2 cups milk I use unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more for salting pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bacon in a single layer on sheet pan and place in oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.12 ounces bacon
- Use a hand grater or food processor to shred the cheese. Mix all three kinds of cheese evenly and set aside.2 cups mild cheddar cheese, 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup gouda cheese
- Meanwhile, add pasta to salted boiling water and cook just shy of al dente (about 6-7 minutes) then drain. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water.18 ounces uncooked pasta, water, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Place cooked bacon on a layer of paper towels or newspaper to absorb excess oil. Once cooled, crumble the paper towel up into a ball, squeezing and pressing to crush and crumble the bacon. Mix bacon pieces with bread crumbs and set aside.⅓ cup bread crumbs
- Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium high heat. Stir in flour to start a roux then whisk in milk slowly until there are no lumps. Reduce heat to medium then stir in sea salt, white pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a light boil then stir in the cheese in batches, reserving about ¾ cup of cheese for topping.½ cup unsalted butter, ⅜ cup flour, 2 cups milk, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir until the cheese sauce is smooth and uniform and all cheese is melted. The sauce should be very thick but not stiff. If needed, add reserved pasta water, one spoonful at a time to thin out the sauce.
- Toss the drained pasta with cheese sauce until evenly coated then spread into a baking dish.
- Top with remaining shredded cheese and place dish in oven, uncovered, to bake for about 20 minutes or until top layer of cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle bacon and bread crumb mixture evenly over top then return to oven uncovered and bake another 20 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown.
- Let dish set for about 30 minutes before scooping serving.
Maggie says
I had never had mac and cheese with bacon before and am OBSESSED with this recipe. It’s dangerously tasty, I told my husband to keep it away from me then got mad when he did lol. It’s a keeper!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Glad to hear you love the bacon mac and cheese, Maggie! Please don't stay mad at your husband lol.