Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

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Macaroni Cheese with Bacon- the ultimate comfort food of macaroni in a delicious cheesy sauce, mixed with bacon and topped off with more cheese.

Jump to Recipe In Winter, there's nothing better than comfort food. All those delicious, stodgy foods that make you feel cosy and warm. Pie and mash, sausage and mash, pasta bakes all do the trick. For me though, the ultimate comfort food is macaroni cheese. The cheese sauce on its own is enough to win me over! Add bacon and you've got a winter winning recipe.

Top Tips for making Macaroni Cheese with Bacon


The key to a good macaroni cheese is the sauce. There a few key things that you need to remember to do, or not to do!

  • Make sure that you mix the flour and butter well until smooth and leave to cook in the pan as the recipe directs. If you start adding milk to soon, it will taste floury.
  • When adding the milk, don't throw it all in at once. Adding a little at a time, is important as it helps the sauce to stay smooth.
  • Stirring is important! If you leave the sauce to its own devices, the bottom will thicken and then when you do stir it, it can get lumpy.
  • If your cheese sauce seems lumpy at the end, you can always whizz it briefly with a hand-blender.
  • If it's too thick, add a little milk at a time whilst stirring.
  • With the macaroni pasta, remember that it will continue to cook in the oven, so don't be tempted to leave it to fully cook through in the water. It should be just softened, al dente.


Make Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

The full recipe card is at the bottom of this post- see below for a brief photo guide.

Melt the butter and mix the flour in to make a paste.

Add milk a little at a time and mix through. It will be very thick at first, then will thin and then thicken a little again.

Keep stirring until the milk has all been added and the sauce can coat the back of a spoon.

Add the cheese and stir until melted.

 Pour the partially cooked macaroni into a suitable dish.

Stir the sauce through.

Make sure the bacon is crispy.

Chop the bacon into small chunks.

Stir the bacon through.

Top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake until golden.

Serve!










Macaroni, cheese, bacon, comfort food
Dinner
British
Yield: 4
Author:
Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

prep time: 25 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 50 M
Macaroni Cheese with Bacon- the ultimate comfort food of macaroni in a delicious cheesy sauce, mixed with bacon and topped off with more cheese.

ingredients:

  • 350g macaroni
  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 500ml milk
  • 250g grated cheddar cheese
  • 4 rashers of bacon

instructions:

How to cook Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

  1. Preheat the oven to 220 (200 fan, gas mark 5) 
  2. Put the bacon under the grill until crispy.
  3. Put the macaroni into boiling salted water for about 3 minutes less than the pack instructions.
  4. Melt the butter on medium heat in a medium saucepan and then stir the flour through until it makes a thick glossy paste. Allow to cook through for a couple of minutes.
  5. Gradually stir in the milk, ensuring that you stir it through fully and allow it to combine and thicken up, before adding more.
  6. When you have a thickened sauce that coats the back of a wooden spoon and all the milk has been added, take it off the heat.
  7. Sprinkle 75g of the cheese into it and stir continuously until it has melted into the sauce.
  8. Chop the crispy bacon into small chunks.
  9. Tip the partially cooked macaroni into a large casserole dish and pour the sauce over it.
  10. Add the chopped bacon and then gently stir through until everything is evenly covered with sauce.
  11. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top as evenly as you can. Add extra if you're a real cheese fan!
  12. Pop in the oven 20-25 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and golden.
  13. Serve with a side salad.

NOTES:

Make sure that you mix the flour and butter well until smooth and leave to cook in the pan as the recipe directs. If you start adding milk to soon, it will taste floury. When adding the milk, don't throw it all in at once. Adding a little at a time, is important as it helps the sauce to stay smooth. Stirring is important! If you leave the sauce to its own devices, the bottom will thicken and then when you do stir it, it can get lumpy. If your cheese sauce seems lumpy at the end, you can always whizz it briefly with a hand-blender. If it's too thick, add a little milk at a time whilst stirring. With the macaroni pasta, remember that it will continue to cook in the oven, so don't be tempted to leave it to fully cook through in the water. It should be just softened, al dente. Not suitable for freezing.

Calories

646

Fat (grams)

38

Sat. Fat (grams)

21

Carbs (grams)

45

Fiber (grams)

2

Net carbs

43

Sugar (grams)

1

Protein (grams)

29

Sodium (milligrams)

750

Cholesterol (grams)

110
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