Baked Bacon Mac & Cheese

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Soul Food

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Ooey gooey three cheese macaroni topped with smoky bacon and baked to golden perfection

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 Food Processor or cheese grater
1 sheet pan
1 deep pot or Dutch oven
1 large skillet or saucepan
1 kitchen spoon
1 oblong baking dish

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.

Notes

Preparation

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.

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!

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.

There's no need to add butter to the bread crumb topping as the they will soak up grease from the bacon pieces!

Storage

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.

Nutrition