Best Bacon Mac Cheese Recipes

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

CHEDDAR-BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook macaroni as directed on package. Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Stir in flour; cook 2 min. or until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; cook on medium heat until mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; cook and stir 5 min. or until melted.
• Drain macaroni. Add to sauce with bacon; mix lightly. Spoon into 1 1/2 quart casserole; top with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute jalapeno in reserved drippings. Add milk and cheeses to pan; cook and stir until blended. Stir in the onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper and pepper sauce. , Drain macaroni; add to pan with the onions and cooked bacon. Mix well. , Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

BACON MAC 'N CHEESE CORNBREAD SKILLET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a 12-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 tablespoons in pan. , Drain macaroni; add macaroni to drippings. Stir in shredded cheeses and cream cheese; cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Whisk 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, green onions, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pour into skillet. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat., Reserve 1/4 cup bacon for topping; sprinkle remaining bacon over macaroni. Place cornbread mix, paprika, remaining 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour over bacon., Bake until puffed and golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup bacon and additional green onions.

SPICY JALAPENO-BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until nearly crispy, about 5 minutes. Add jalapenos and fry with bacon until soft and bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain some of the bacon fat, leaving 4 tablespoons of fat in the pan.
• Stir chile paste into the pan and fry for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Cook and stir garlic in the pan for 1 minute. Pour in milk and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly and prevent cheese from separating.
• Stir Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese into the mixture until melted. Add drained pasta and mix together. Serve.

JALAPENO-BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook macaroni according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually whisk in milk and mustard. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in jalapenos and 3 cups cheese until cheese is melted., Reserve 1/4 cup crumbled bacon; stir remaining bacon into sauce., Drain macaroni and return to pot; stir in cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese and reserved bacon. Bake, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

KILLER MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and set the pan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat: Reserve that deliciousness!
• Add the butter and onion to the pan with the bacon fat; season with salt and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk, mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco. Season with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 6 to 8 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome, with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center-this is al dente. Drain the pasta.
• Add the Cheddar, fontina and Parmesan to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta. The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately. (If making ahead, transfer to a baking dish or ramekins, then reheat in a 375 degree oven.)

HONEY BOURBON GLAZED SMOKED SPARERIBS, WITH BEER BACON BBQ SAUCE AND SOUTHWESTERN GREEN CHILI MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• For the honey bourbon glaze: Pour the bourbon into a saucepan over low heat; ignite bourbon to burn off the alcohol for about 5 minutes. Add the honey and brown sugar and whisk to thicken. Simmer for another 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Pour glaze into a small bowl and set aside.
• For the beer bacon bbq sauce: Heat a large pot on high heat, then add the butter and let it melt for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add the beer and bacon and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and reduce by a quarter, then add ketchup, molasses, granulated sugar, brisket drippings, chili powder, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and cook on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes, then puree in a blender until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• For the ribs: Whisk together the salt, pepper, chile powder and garlic powder in a small bowl. Drizzle a little canola oil over the ribs, front and back, then rub the oil in. Holding your hand high, season both sides of the ribs with rub. Be sure to get an even coating on both sides, along with the sides of the ribs.
• Soak 5 to 6 paper towels with canola oil, then open the smoker lid and place soaked paper towels in the smoker with 1 chunk hickory, 2 small chunks apple wood and a few handfuls charcoal. Light the paper towels. Let the coals burn down for 20 to 30 minutes. Add a couple more chunks hickory, apple and charcoal, then let smoker come up to 250 degrees F. Place a small pan of water on smoker rack, then place ribs in smoker. Let cook 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add another chunk of each wood and more charcoal; repeat this process every 30 to 45 minutes. At 2 hours into the cooking process, spritz ribs with apple cider vinegar, then spritz every 30 minutes until the third hour of cooking. At the third hour, wrap the ribs in foil and place back on the smoker. At the 4 1/2-hour mark, take the ribs out of foil and glaze with the honey bourbon. Let glaze set in for 20 to 30 minutes in the smoker meat-side up. Let ribs rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then slice. Drizzle ribs with Beer Bacon BBQ sauce and toss. Garnish the ribs with sliced scallions.
• For the Southwestern Green Chili Mac 'n' Cheese: Meanwhile, heat four cups half-and-half to a gentle boil in a medium-large saucepot. Add the garlic, chipotle sauce, cumin, seafood seasoning and thyme, then add the American cheese, whisking until smooth and melted. Fold in the pasta and green chiles and heat through until lightly bubbly. Add the shredded jack, Cheddar and Gouda. If the pasta is too thick, add in another cup or two of half-and-half to smooth it out. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Garnish with toasted buttered breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of Korean chile flakes.
• If you prefer baked mac 'n' cheese, place pasta into a casserole dish, sprinkle a handful of extra Cheddar and jack cheeses on top and bake at 350 degrees F until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

BACON-BROCCOLI MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time. Meanwhile, cook broccoli as directed on package.
• In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings. Cook shallots in bacon drippings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens.
• Remove from heat. Add 2 cups of the Cheddar cheese and the Gouda cheese; stir until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni and broccoli and crumbled bacon. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed crackers and remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese.
• Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH BACON AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 min. Add cabbage; cook 3 min. or until crisp-tender. Add cream cheese spread and broth; cook and stir 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted.
• Drain macaroni. Add to cabbage mixture with bacon; stir to coat. Spoon into 2-qt. baking dish. Mix Parmesan and bread crumbs in small bowl. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake 25 min. or until lightly browned.

COUNTRY BACON-BEEF MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until crisp, 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Brown ground beef in drippings; remove from pan. Add onion to skillet; cook and stir until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more., Combine red pepper, carrot, seasonings and pasta in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Layer with ground beef, bacon and onion mixture (do not stir). Pour in broth., Cook, covered, on low for about 1 hour, until meat and vegetables are tender. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in sour cream and cheeses.

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON BREAD CRUMBS #RSC

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350.
• Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for 1 minute or until the onions are translucent. Using a wooden spoon stir in the flour until fully incorporated. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to almost low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the mixture is simmering heat a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking. Add chicken, season with salt and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through. Add chipotle peppers with 2 tbsp adobo and toss to coat. Toss the chicken with the cooked macaroni and put in a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
• To finish the cheese sauce bring half and half to a gentle simmer and slowly mix in to roux. Add the ranch, cheddar, and 2 tbsp adobo and mix to combine. Season with salt to taste. Add cheese sauce to the baking dish and mix to combine with macaroni and chicken. Sprinkle with bacon bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. (If desired after baking use the broiler to achieve a more brown and crisp top).
• For bacon bread crumbs cook bacon till crispy, allow to cool, and then finely mince. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss to mix. Bacon bread crumbs can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

SLOW-COOKER BACON MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the first 6 ingredients until blended. Stir in pasta and cheeses; transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker., Cook, covered, on low until pasta is tender, 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Turn off slow cooker; remove insert. Let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes before serving. Top with bacon.

BACON BURGER MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta shy of al dente, 5 to 6 minutes.
• While the water comes to a boil, heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and remove some of the drippings, leaving a thin layer. Add the beef, brown and crumble, but leave a few larger pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Once the beef has caramelized, add the onions and cook to tender. Add the stock and Worcestershire, then reduce the heat to low.
• In a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Thicken to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the cheese. When the cheese has melted into the sauce, stir in the mustard, ketchup, relish and hot sauce. Combine the pasta with the sauce and fold in the meat. Place in a large casserole dish. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring the casserole to room temp then bake until brown and bubbly on top and golden at edges, 45 to 50 minutes.

MAC AND CHEESE WAFFLES WITH BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour bacon fat into a heatproof container (save for another use) and wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
• Melt the butter in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until tan in color, about 1 minute. Add the milk and bring up to a simmer, whisking every couple of minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the three cheeses in batches, whisking after each addition, until melted. Remove from the heat.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente, then drain. Transfer to a large bowl, add 3/4 of the cheese sauce and 3/4 of the cooked bacon and stir to combine. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet, spread it to the edges and refrigerate for 1 hour. Reserve the remaining cheese sauce for serving.
• Preheat your waffle iron to medium high. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and add enough mac and cheese to cover most of the iron. Press down hard to squeeze the waffle iron shut (don't worry if some mac and cheese falls out). Cook until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, reheat the reserved cheese sauce over low heat. Plate the waffle with a side of cheese sauce and garnish with some of the remaining bacon. Repeat with the remaining mac and cheese.

BEER BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring an 8 qt covered pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente (has a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large 12" skillet over medium-high. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite-size pieces over the skillet and let them to fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.
• Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.
• Pour reserved bacon drippings back into the skillet over medium heat and add butter.
• Once the butter is melted add flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flour-y taste to cook off.
• Add spices, beer and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Allow to come to boil for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a bubble. Once you see the first few bubbles in the pan remove from heat and add cooked bacon, Worchershire and cheese. Stir to combine.
• Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce.
• Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with chives and serve.
• NOTES from Author of recipe Donna Elick :.
• Recipe may be doubled. Simply use 2x the ingredients and follow cooking directions.
• The sauce will thicken as it cools. If the sauce is too thick, add milk a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding 1/4 cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached.
• Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions.

BACON CHEESEBURGER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In Dutch oven or 3-quart saucepan, cook and drain pasta as directed on package, using minimum cook time; return to Dutch oven.
• Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and beef is thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Remove from heat; stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Cover to keep warm.
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour with whisk. Gradually add milk. Heat to simmering; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in Cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour cheese sauce over pasta in Dutch oven; stir to coat.
• Spoon pasta mixture into casserole. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with bacon. Arrange tomatoes and potato nuggets on top.
• Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until potatoes are crisp. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

CREAMY STOVETOP BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain.
• Set an extra-large skillet, or a large heavy saucepan, over medium-low heat and cook the bacon until crispy and the fat renders out, 10 to 12 minutes. Set the bacon aside, reserving the fat to build your sauce. At this point you should have about 1/4 cup of reserved fat. If needed, add some olive oil or butter to make sure you have a 1/4 cup of fat in the pan.
• Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the paste bubbles a bit, about 2 minutes (make sure it doesn't brown). Continuing to whisk, add 3 cups of the hot milk and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the dry mustard, and then gradually add the Cheddar and Muenster cheeses, stirring constantly until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce. Stir in the hot sauce and the remaining 1 cup milk. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Stir in the crispy bacon and season with salt and pepper.

MAC AND CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE WITH BACON TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Evenly spread the Easy Mac and Cheese in an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut the mac and cheese into 4 equal-size squares.
• Preheat a griddle over medium-low heat. Place each mac and cheese square on a slice of bread, top with 1 slice American cheese and 2 slices bacon. Top with a second piece of bread and griddle the sandwich until golden and warm, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve.
• For the adults, toss the tomatoes in some hot sauce and add on top of the bacon before griddling your sandwich.
• Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water to al dente and drain.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir for a couple of minutes, making sure it's free of lumps and the flour taste is cooked out. Stir in the milk, bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the processed cheese and Cheddar until melted, add the hot sauce and fold in the macaroni. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

MAC & CHEESE BACON BITES

Steps:

• Cook the pasta for 4 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1⁄4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the flour. Whisk together, cooking until the flour resembles wet sand and begins to smell nutty and fragrant. Add the milk, whisking until there is no lumps. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute, stirring often.
• Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Season generously with pepper and add salt to taste (this will depend on the saltiness of your cheese.) Add the pasta and fold together until the pasta is coated, add 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water, if necessary, to loosen.
• Lightly grease a muffin tin and line each cup with a piece of precooked bacon to come up sides of cup. Spoon mac and cheese into each of the cups and then top with some Italian panko breadcrumbs.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool 5-10 minutes to settle into cups before removing and serving.