Perfectly cheesy, creamy, and gooey baked mac and cheese topped with bacon panko topping. Tender pasta, smooth flavorful cheese sauce, and a layer of crunchy bacon panko topping makes this mac and cheese the best.
What can be more comforting than gooey, cheesy, mac and cheese fresh and hot from the oven?! Nothing, it’s the best comfort food around.
Mac and cheese is one of those wonderful dishes that can be whatever you want it to be. It can easily be a holiday side dish or a simple side dish for a weekend dinner. Mac and cheese can be a main dish as well, especially if it’s loaded with bacon topping like this recipe.
What I love about mac and cheese is how easy it is and how fast it can be made. It’s a simple stove-top mac and cheese with a little something extra added. Baked mac and cheese takes about 45 minutes and it can easily be made ahead of time.
How To Make Baked Mac and Cheese
Start by making bacon bits on stove-top quick and easy. Cut cold bacon widthwise, into thin slices. Spread the in a preheated cooking pan with a little bit of oil and sauté until fat is all rendered and bacon is brown and cooked.
(Strain off bacon grease and you can save it for fun recipes like maple bacon donuts or maple bacon cupcakes.)
Cook pasta while making the cheese sauce. Make sure to cook the macaroni in salted water until al dente (little bite to it), strain it and set aside.
Grate blocks of cheese on large block grater before starting to cook and measure all remaining ingredients. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and lower the heat to medium-low.
Whisk in flour until smoothly combined with butter. As soon as it’s combined and looks like paste, start slowly pouring in milk while constantly whisking. Keep whisking and pouring until all incorporated. Slowly stir until the milk mixture heats through and starts to thicken (Don’t let it boil!)
Add cheeses a handful at a time while slowly stirring. Season with garlic power, salt, and pepper. Keep slowly stirring. Once all cheese is melted and smooth, take off heat, and stir in the pasta.
Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a deep 9×9 baking dish or 9×13 baking dish baking dish. Spread mac and cheese mixture in the prepared baking dish.
Mix panko bread crumbs and cooked bacon bits. Add a little bacon grease and mix until evenly combined. Spread topping all over the mac and cheese in the baking pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes (until bubbling around the edges)
Make Ahead Instructions
To make mac and cheese ahead of time, simply follow all the steps up to the point of baking. Instead of baking, cool and cover the baking dish with plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate it. You can refrigerate it for a day or so until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, let the cold baking dish sit on the counter for 30 minutes or so before baking. Take off plastic wrap and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
Freezing Instructions
If you’re planning on freezing mac and cheese, it will be easier to prepare it in aluminum foil pan.
Cook macaroni, cheese sauce, and topping according to the recipe. Mix pasta and cheese sauce and spread it in the aluminum pan. Let it cool completely. Top mac and cheese with the bacon topping evenly.
Instead of baking, wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap first and then wrap it again with foil. The goal is to wrap it air-tight. Label the pan and freeze for up to 2 months.
To bake frozen mac and cheese, make sure to take off plastic wrap first. Bake it covered with foil for 30 minutes and then take off the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes. If the bacon topping is getting too crispy, place a sheet of aluminum foil loosely on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cheese for mac and cheese?
Make sure to get one cheese with extra flavor and one cheese that melts well and will provide gooey, smooth, and stringy texture. This combination works great for enhanced flavor and texture.
Extra sharp cheddar cheese is a good choice for a great flavor kick. In addition to cheddar, you can also choose to add another flavor like Parmigiano Reggiano, Asiago, Gruyere. (For Parmigiano Reggiano, get a block and grate it because it melts better.)
Mozzarella and Monterrey Jack cheeses are the best cheese for smooth cheese sauce because it melts beautifully and extra gooey.
PRO TIP: it’s always best to get a block of cheese and grate it yourself for a smooth and creamy cheese sauce. Shredded cheese is mixed with cornstarch and other separating agents that affect the texture of cheese when melted.
How to make mac and cheese gluten free?
Use gluten free pasta. If you don’t have a favorite, I prefer the Tinkayada brand of gluten free pasta. Its texture is the least crumbly and stand up great to baking and cooking.
To thicken the cheese sauce, substitute flour for 1:1 gluten free flour.
To make the bacon topping gluten free, use gluten free panko crumbs instead of regular panko.
More Mac And Cheese Recipes To Try
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Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni pasta*
- water to cook pasta
- salt to season water
Cheese sauce:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour*
- 4 cups whole milk (or reduced fat)
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese block
- 8 oz Monterrey jack cheese block
- 4 oz Mozzarella cheese block
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Topping:
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup Panko crumbs*
- 1 tbsp bacon grease from cooking bacon
Instructions
Cooking Bacon Bits:
- Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat and add a little bit of cooking oil.
- Slice cold bacon strips widthwise into small pieces and add it to the preheated pan.
- Spread it well all over the pan and let the bacon cook until the fat is rendered and bacon bits are all cooked. Make sure to stir from time to time and note that the last couple of minutes bacon cooks fast so don't overcook it.
- Strain the bacon bits out from the bacon grease and save them for the topping. (You can save the bacon grease for other recipes if needed. Store in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator.)
Mac and Cheese Sauce:
- Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (little bite to it), strain it and set aside. You can cook the pasta while making the cheese sauce.
- Grate blocks of cheese on large block grater. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Whisk in flour until smoothly combined with butter. As soon as it's combined and looks like paste, start slowly pouring in milk while constantly whisking. Keep whisking and pouring until all incorporated.
- Slowly stir until the milk mixture heats through and starts to thicken (Don't let it boil!)
- Add cheeses a handful at a time while slowly stirring.
- Season with garlic power, salt, and pepper. Keep slowly stirring.
- Once all cheese is melted and smooth, take off heat.
Baked Mac and Cheese:
- Add strained pasta to the cheese sauce and fold to mix thoroughly.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a baking dish. Use a deep 9×9 baking dish or 9×13 baking dish.
- Spread mac and cheese mixture in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix panko bread crumbs and cooked bacon bits. Add a little bacon grease and mix until evenly combined.
- Spread topping all over the mac and cheese in the baking pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes (until bubbling around the edges).
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free Notes: Use gluten free pasta. If you don’t have a favorite, I prefer the Tinkayada brand of gluten free pasta. Its texture is the least crumbly and stand up great to baking and cooking.
To thicken the cheese sauce, substitute flour for 1:1 gluten free flour.
To make the bacon topping gluten free, use gluten free panko crumbs instead of regular panko.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in March 2019.
Jean says
Delllliciousssssss…
LyubaB says
Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Very easy and tastes great. My new go to
LyubaB says
Thanks, Elizabeth! Glady you liked it!
Alejandra Rodriguez says
I make this every year for Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving and everyone always loves it!!
LyubaB says
That is awesome! I am so glad everyone loves it!
Jasmine Schmidtz says
I found this recipe on Pinterest and make it using rigatoni noodles and it was absolutely to die for! Tastes like it came straight from a restaurant. So impressed!
LyubaB says
Jasmine, I am so glad you liked it!