This bacon mac and cheese is creamy, salty, and you get a piece of bacon in every single bite. It is the perfect combination of two of the most perfect foods; mac and cheese and bacon. YUM.
The BEST Bacon Mac and Cheese
What is better than creamy mac and cheese? Mac and cheese with BACON. Who ever thought that it could get any better? We used two delicious cheeses. gruyere and smoked gouda cheese that are both complimented by delicious pieces of bacon.
Why you’ll love it!
Not only is the flavor of this dish delicious but the creaminess if the cheese sauce is a spin on a classic cheese sauce.
It makes a great dish for any BBQ or event that serves a crowd.
You can make it your own by using different cheese or adding veggies.
Featured Ingredients
Pasta: we use classic macaroni noodles in this bacon mac and cheese. Feel free to use a smaller noodle like orecchiette, shells, or radiatore.
Bacon: use a thicker cut bacon so you don’t overcook thin bacon in the oven. Also, it’s nice to have thicker cut pieces of bacon so you have a chewy and crispy piece of bacon in every bite.
Gruyere: this delicious cheese is a hard Swiss cheese that is salty and perfect for a mac and cheese.
Smoked Gouda: a little smokey cheese goes a long way and pairs perfectly with gruyere cheese.
Cheese Sauce
We based this delicious cheese sauce after our delicious mac and cheese sauce. If you don’t have gruyere or gouda, feel free to make this cheddar cheese mac and cheese sauce.
How to Make Panera Mac and Cheese
Boil the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook the noodles until al dente or a little less because they will continue to cook in the oven.
Make the roux
A roux is a mixture of fat and flour. Melt butter in a sauce pan and add the flour. Let the flour and butter cook for a few minutes and whisk the milk into the roux. Add the 1 cup gruyere, 1/2 cup gouda, mustard, salt and pepper to the sauce and whisk until smooth.
Mix everything together
Add the pasta and cooked bacon to the pot and mix until combined.
bake
Pour the mac and cheese into a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake the mac and cheese for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Elevate this Recipe
If you have extra time for this recipe here’s a great idea. Instead of using already cooked bacon, you can cook the bacon on the stove yourself and use the drippings instead of butter in your roux.
Cook the bacon on the stove top and then remove it from the skillet. Leave the drippings in the skillet and be sure it’s about 4 tablespoons of drippings and proceed with the recipe as written.
Top Tips for Perfect Bacon Mac and Cheese
Always use block cheese. Try your best not to use pre-shredded cheese when making a cheese sauce. Sometimes there can be an anti-clumping agent in pre-shredded cheese.
Be sure the sauce isn’t too thick when you mix it in with the pasta. The sauce will thicken when the mac and cheese bakes in the oven.
FAQ
We like to use gruyere and gouda for bacon mac and cheese, but white cheddar cheese would be delicious, too.
You can add frozen peas to the baked mac and cheese before baking, diced sweet peppers, or onions.
If your mac and cheese sauce ends up too thick, add a bit of pasta water to the sauce or a tablespoon of milk at a time until the sauce thins out a bit.
Storage
Let the mac and cheese cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not suggest freezing this mac and cheese.
Reheating Instructions: Add the mac and cheese to a saucepan and add a few tablespoons of milk to the saucepan and warm the mac and cheese over low heat until it thins out.
Bacon Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16- oz. dried elbow macaroni noodles feel free to use shells
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6- oz. smoked gouda shredded and divided
- 16- oz. gruyere shredded and divided
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 lb. bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until al dente. Strain the pasta and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute or until a paste forms.
- Slowly add the milk and cream into the roux, whisking continuously for 3-4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. You want a smooth sauce with no lumps.
- Next, set aside ½ cup of the gouda and 1 cup of gruyere, and then fold in the rest of the shredded cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper to the sauce. Mix until all of the cheese has melted.
- Add the cooked noodles and bacon to the sauce and mix to combine.
- Transfer the mac and cheese into the casserole dish. Top with the 1.5 cups of remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes
- The sauce should be a little “loose”, the noodles will absorb some of that moisture while baking.
