Try this Bacon Macaroni and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 3 c whole milk
- 8 strips uncooked bacon (chopped into pieces)
- 1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
- 2 c sharp shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz macaroni noodles (cooked al dente and drained)
- Carbohydrate 4.49946666213921 g
- Cholesterol 143.694868863726 mg
- Fat 52.0048538416591 g
- Fiber 0.146754167753238 g
- Protein 6.75216223158021 g
- Saturated Fat 32.7104646545406 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (128g)
- Sodium 530.879435167874 mg
- Sugar 4.35271249438598 g
- Trans Fat 3.78446517407405 g
- Calories 504 calories
Step-by-step
- Place chopped bacon in the bottom of a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook until browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease and return to medium heat. Add butter and heat until melted.
- Once butter has melted, add flour and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add milk and spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard), stir well and bring to a boil.
- Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat, bring to a simmer, and stir frequently until mixture is thickened (if you dip a spoon in the sauce, it should cover the back of the spoon so that no metal is showing).
- Reduce heat to low and add cheddar, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Stir until cheeses are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Add cooked, drained pasta noodles and bacon and stir until well coated with the sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Operating on a strict thirty-minute timeline requires managing dairy temperatures precisely so the sauce builds body without breaking. Rendering bacon fat first yields precisely one tablespoon of grease to combine with two tablespoons of butter, establishing the flavorful fat base needed to hydrate four tablespoons of flour. Whisking continuously prevents raw flour pockets from forming during the initial roux stage. Whole milk incorporates smoothly when added gradually to the hot roux alongside onion powder, salt, garlic powder, ground pepper, and ground mustard. Boiling this dairy mixture activates the flour starches, thickening the liquid until it coats the back of a spoon completely.
Controlling Cheese Melt and Starch Viscosity
Shredding sharp cheddar and mozzarella blocks manually ensures a smoother melt than pre-bagged varieties coated in cellulose powder. Lowering the heat prior to cheese addition prevents the milk proteins from seizing and oiling off. Cream cheese dissolves into the sauce alongside the shredded cheeses, contributing extra emulsifiers that stabilize the final consistency. Cooking macaroni noodles strictly al dente prevents them from disintegrating when folded into the heavy cheese sauce. Dutch ovens distribute heat evenly, but standard heavy-bottomed stockpots work well if stirred constantly to prevent scorching at the base.
- Separated sauce? Remove the pot from direct heat entirely and whisk vigorously while adding two tablespoons of warm milk to restore the emulsion.
- Grainy texture? Check that pre-shredded cheese was avoided, as anti-caking agents prevent proper melting.
- Thick sauce? Thin increments of warm whole milk adjust viscosity safely without dropping the overall temperature too quickly.
