Bacon Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
Bacon Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese is one of our favorite family dinners. I start this dish by making a creamy white sauce. Then, I stir in the macaroni, extra sharp cheddar cheese, and crispy crumbled bacon. Finally, I top the macaroni and cheese with buttery breadcrumbs and bake it until it’s golden brown. We like this dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that I can make this dish ahead of time. I like to prepare the macaroni and cheese early in the day and bake it right before dinner. Secondly, I like that this dish is easy to customize to individual tastes. If someone doesn’t like breadcrumbs, you can just leave it off their skillet. And, lastly, we all love how warm and comforting this dish is.
The Equipment I Used
- Mini Cast Iron Skillets- I used six mini cast iron skillets to bake my macaroni and cheese. But you could also use a nine by eleven casserole, or six cocottes or ramekins. I bought my skillets on QVC.
- A Food Processor- Use this to make the breadcrumbs.
The Ingredients Needed for Bacon Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
- Macaroni- You could also use small pasta shells. Be sure to cook the macaroni in three tablespoons of kosher salt. This adds a lot of flavor to the pasta.
- Butter- Use unsalted butter. I always use Kerry gold Irish butter.
- Chicken Stock- I always use homemade chicken stock. My recipe is below.
- Heavy Cream- Use heavy cream to make the white sauce.
- Cheese- I used Cabot extra sharp cheddar cheese.
How I Made my Macaroni and Cheese
- First, I made the white sauce. Be sure to temper the eggs by pouring a bit of the hot sauce into the eggs.
- Then, added the breadcrumbs and baked the skillets until they were brown and bubbly.
If you like cheddar cheese, you need to try this cheesy and delicious Bacon Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese.
Bacon Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups elbow macaroni
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp. each kosher salt and chili powder
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 beaten eggs
- 3 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 cups cubed white bread
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil the macaroni for the time indicated on the box, and drain it well.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, on medium heat, melt four tablespoons of the butter and cook the onions until they're soft.
- Add the flour to the vegetables and cook for two minutes. Then, add the chicken stock and cream and cook for two more minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir a half cup of the white sauce into a bowl with the beaten eggs. This is to temper, or heat up, the eggs so that they don't scramble in the hot sauce. Then, add the warmed- up eggs to the pot of white sauce. Stir in the macaroni and two cups of cheese and two thirds of the bacon and pour it into a a greased 9 by 11 casserole, or 6 individual cocottes or ramekins or skillets. Top with the last cup of cheddar cheese.
- In a small skillet melt the rest of the butter. In a food processor, pulse the bread into crumbs, and then cook with the paprika in the butter for three minutes.
- Scatter the breadcrumbs and the rest of the bacon over the macaroni and cheese and bake for thirty minutes.
Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs. chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley and fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large, tall pot and cover with ten cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth.
