Mac and Cheese, the ultimate classic comfort food, is a house favorite. Well really a guilty pleasure! For my Bacon Mac and Cheese Casserole, I load it with crispy bacon, cheddar, mozzarella and cream cheeses. The perfect cheesy pasta dish. Topped with crunchy Panko breadcrumbs and baked to a bubbly, golden brown it’s an undeniable indulgence.
I felt like making some Buffalo Chicken the other evening with some pasta on the side and got the idea for this Bacon Mac and Cheese.
With a little of that influence coming from Franks Hot Sauce, like in my Baked Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, it was my go to for that kick of heat.
MY LATEST VIDEOSKeeping with that crunchy exterior of the meatballs, I made sure to add that aspect as the topping for this Bacon Mac and Cheese Casserole.
Cheeses that are perfect for melting like mozzarella, Monterey jack, cream cheese, and Brie are wonderful all gooey and soft. Dipping your bread in, smothering pasta or all stretchy on top of pizza, it’s all good. The reason for this is the high moisture content.
See the proteins are loosely packed with lots of water mixed throughout them, so they liquefy really quick. Unlike hard, low moisture cheeses that contain so little water in them that it’s harder to melt.
That’s why I chose cream cheese and lots of mozzarella with a nice touch of sharp cheddar. Everything better with cheddar – and bacon!
So if you’re looking for a different mac and cheese recipe this version using cream cheese and a little buffalo hot sauce is for you. Feel free to omit the hot sauce if it’s not for you, but I highly recommend it. Watch the video below to see how easy this is to make.
Super cheesy and gooey, loaded with bacon and tender pasta all topped with a buttery, crunchy, golden brown crust.
If you love cheese like I do try my Cheddar Bacon Jam Puff Pastry Bites, Green Chili Chicken Mac and Cheese Muffins or this Chili Mac and Cheese Casserole. Enjoy!
Bacon Mac and Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 6 tbsp butter separated
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (or Monterey Jack)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped (loosely packed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of melted butter, Panko breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot boil pasta in heavily salted water per package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking in a 9x9” square or a 13x9” pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, render bacon until crispy and browned. Remove bacon and set aside to crumble. Keep bacon fat in pan. Add crumbled bacon to pasta, reserving some to top pasta at serving.
- In same skillet with bacon fat add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk and whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in the mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 4 minutes, the sauce will thicken.
- Add the cream cheese and stir to melt in the sauce. Add the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and stir to melt and incorporate. Sauce should be smooth.
- Pour cheese sauce over pasta and bacon and stir to mix in completely. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until top is golden brown and crunchy.
I tried making this….twice 🙁 Both times the sauce pulled away from the noodles. Maybe its because I burned the last three strips of bacon but the sauce never gained anything prettier than a brown color, even after adding in all the different cheeses. I’m kinda bummed.
Sorry to read that Christy and I don’t know what could have happened. I do not think it is due to your burning of the bacon. This is a super easy, albeit tasty, mac and cheese recipe. Are you purchasing shredded cheese? I buy it in block form and shred myself. If you purchase it already shredded it has a potato starch on it to keep it from clumping. Maybe that’s it? Let me know!
Hi Kevin- I just found your site and see so many wonderful recipes, thank you. In regards to this Mac and cheese – Can this be made ahead of time, set in refridge for a day, and then baked before serving or will the noodles get too overdone with having to heat all back up? Thank you.
Kind regards,
Sarah
I think it would be fine to do Sarah. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Hi Kevin, question. Been looking for the perfect mac and cheese recipe and came across yours.
It sounds great. I have to make this for my niece’s B-day party and it is for 75 people. we are having plenty of other things but i want to make a big batch. i want to make about 5lbs of pasta. do you have any advice as to how much i should multiply the ingredients to your recipe by?
Thanks so much Joe! 75 people, wowza, that’s a party!
Honestly I haven’t weighed this batch, but it feels almost like it could be 5 pounds. Seriously though, I would triple or quadruple this recipe if you want large batches like for what your talking about. This is quite rich and this alone could feed 8-10 people depending on portion sizes. I say make your best judgement call for this one. Let me know how the party and recipe turn out. Cheers!
thanks Kevin, i will let you know how it goes.
That’s some really beautiful mac & cheese. The panko is gorgeous. I’ve never had cream cheese in a mac & cheese.
Just an added level of creaminess Jeff. So you sink lower in the couch of course! 😉
Oh yeah, I’m with you. Mac and cheese – especially with bacon and all that crunchiness – perfect guilty pleasure.
Totally agree, it’s a weakness, but one I gladly shoulder! 🙂
Nice work, Kevin. It is only 6:30 am and my mouth is watering.
Then my work is done. Thanks Ben! 😉
This just looks like the ultimate comfort food and I completely agree with you – everything is better with cheddar & bacon 🙂 Have a lovely weekend, Kevin!
Cheddar and Bacon for the win! I couldn’t agree more Miriam. I hope this finds you well and happy. Cheers! 🙂
Hey Kevin. Now you’ve really got my attention, creamy, crunchy and bacony! You know how I feel about bacon and I have a real weakness for mac n’ cheese. I have a nice slab of St. Louis ribs in the freezer and I think this would be perfect with them. Here in the South it’s always a side at bbq places.
It is perfect for BBQs as a side although I don’t even need an excuse to eat mac n’ cheese, even if I had those St. Louis ribs!
Hey Kevin! Your bacon mac n’ cheese is the bomb! Gary doesn’t usually eat a lot of mac, he had three servings tonight along with ribs and baked beans! He even declined dessert, said he would have it for breakfast. Me, I ate more mac than anything else!
With all the cooking I did today with the oven on we shut the windows and turned the a/c back on.
Hope you and Dave had a great Labor Day!!
You’re so sweet, thanks for letting me know Dorothy! So happy you both enjoyed it.
We had a low key day, made some Mole Chili and Lemon Bars for dessert. Life is good!