Bacon and smoked cheddar cheese come together in this made-from-scratch recipe for Bacon Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese: The Ultimate Comfort Food!
Comfort food is all the rage right now. Is there anything more comforting than homemade macaroni and cheese? With Bacon Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese cranks up the comfort food level to 11. Perfectly cooked macaroni is smothered in smokey bacon and creamy rich smoked cheddar cheese. Baking it in the oven after mixing it all together just creates a smokey, melty goodness you’ll love.
Bacon Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking pan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box macaroni noodles cooked and set aside
- 1 lb thick-sliced bacon diced, cooked, and set aside
- 8 oz smoked cheddar cheese shredded and set aside
Cheese Sauce
- 3 15 oz cans evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (not smoked) shredded
- ½ stick butter
- A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Into the 9 x 13 pan, add:
- Cooked and drained macaroni noodles.
- Diced, cooked bacon
How to Make the Cheese Sauce
- Melt the butter in a 1½ quart pot on medium heat.
- Add to the butter about ⅓ of a can of evaporated milk.
- Then whisk into the milk about 1 Tbs of flour.
- Continue alternating the cans of milk and flour. Cook and whisk continuously until the sauce thickens.
- Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir it into the sauce mixture until it melts.
- Add a few dashes of hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni noodles and bacon in the 9 x 13 baking pan. Stir to mix together well.
- Top generously with shredded smoked cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the smoked cheddar cheese topping is melted.
Real Food
No processed cheese food product is in this recipe. I’m about being real. Nothing makes amazing mac & cheese like real cheese. My grandmother used to make home-baked mac & cheese with real cheese and whole milk. It was AMAZING. Oh, how we used to look forward to her mac & cheese! It was rich, creamy, and has that perfect brown cheesy crusty baked edge that is so good. I think she’d be pleased with my interpretation of her recipe.
A Great Make-Ahead Meal
This dish is perfect for making ahead. Just prepare it up to the point of putting it in the oven. Then, instead of baking it, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it. It’s also a very portable dish to take to potlucks and family gatherings.
This dish also freezes well and is a great dish for meal planners to make ahead for the week.
Serve this main course with a salad dressed with a tangy vinegarette such as the Ahi Tuna Salad, but leave off the tuna.
