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Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese in a white bowl with a red spoon
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5 from 51 votes

Smoked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

This Smoked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese is a delicious recipe filled with 4 kinds of cheese and loaded with smoked bacon.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, smoked bacon macaroni and cheese
Servings: 8
Calories: 635kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried noodles
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 cups mild Cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese shredded and divided
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup Velveeta cheese cut into small cubes
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 pound smoked bacon cooked and chopped into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter grated

Instructions

  • Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels to help drain off any excess fat. Pat bacon dry. Cut into pieces. Set aside. 
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, once it's at a rolling boil add a generous amount of salt. Toss in the noodles, and cook until tender, about 1 minute less than the package instructs. Don't overcook the pasta, you don't want it to be mushy. Remove from heat, drain the pasta and set aside.
  • In a medium sized saucepan, melt ½ cup of butter. Stir in the cooked noodles. Then toss in all the cheeses, but reserve 1 cup of sharp cheddar.
  • Mix the half-and-half and the eggs together in a bowl then add that slowly to the mac and cheese. Add a little at first so the heat of the pasta doesn't ruin the half-and-half or cook the eggs. Once you've added it all then mix well with a large spoon.
  • Sprinkle with salt and white pepper.
  • Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish that you had set aside earlier. Toss the rest of the cheese over top and add the remaining butter as well.
  • Place in the oven and bake it until it starts to bubble up, and you can barely contain yourself from eating it right out of the oven. This should take about 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Remove from oven. Sprinkle the chopped bacon over top.
  • Serve with a big old cheesy smile!

Video

Notes

You can use any kind of noodle for this recipe.
Half and half is used in this recipe but you can also use heavy cream. They are fairly interchangeable in mac and cheese recipes. 
If you prefer different cheeses you can always swap some of the ones I used.
I used Velveeta because it give a nice creamy texture to the mac and cheese. If you don't like it then you can add more sharp cheddar. 
Personally, I like the added touch of grating 1 to 2 tablespoons cold (or frozen) butter over top of the mac and cheese before placing it in the oven. Add the butter then the extra cheese to the top. It will make the mac and cheese incredibly creamy. 
Add the smoked bacon after baking the mac and cheese in the oven. Just toss it on top and stir, saving some to top the dish for presentation. 
Originally posted February 24, 2014.

Nutrition

Calories: 635kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 1722mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1631IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 727mg | Iron: 1mg