Macaroni cheese with a bacon crumb is the epitome of quick and easy comfort food. It is three yummy things combined:
1. Pasta: we boil first, but cook a little bit less than usual. It will continue to cook when it is mixed with the sauce and baked in the oven.
2. Ultra-Creamy White Sauce - we achieve a luscious creamy sauce (without cream). And add lots of cheese 😋
3. Crunchy Topping: we scatter over a bacon, parsley and lemon zest breadcrumb topping which adds a satisfying crunch to the dish. It's my favourite part.
Baked to Perfection- the topping creates a delightful contrast. We have creamy macaroni adorned with a crunchy bacon crumb. This textural interplay is crucial for the best mac ‘n’ cheese.
Ideal for Crowds - this recipe is easy to scale, making it a perfect choice when serving a large group.
Versatile Accompaniment - macaroni and cheese with a bacon crumb pairs well with various other dishes. If you’re serving it as a main course, all you'll need to go with it is a simple salad or steamed greens.
Efficient Prep – only 25 minutes of prep time if you get a wriggle on. Begin preparing the toppings and white sauce while the pasta is boiling. Remember to set a timer to avoid overcooking the pasta. With 20 minutes bake time, your meal can be ready in 45 minutes.
Low FODMAP Option - for those with dietary restrictions, you can adapt this recipe to be low FODMAP. Use gluten-free pasta, gluten-free flour and lactose-free milk in the cheese sauce.
🥘 Ingredients
These are easy to find and you probably have them in your pantry already.
Pasta – yes, we call the dish macaroni cheese, but any small pasta shape will work well. The small size of macaroni makes them easy to eat with one utensil. The tubular shape is good for holding the cheesy sauce.
Cheese – any combo of cheese that melts well will work. I tend to stick with tasty (also called mature or sharp) cheddar because I always have it. You can use gruyere, mozzarella, Colby, Monterey Jack, Provolone (as well as or instead). Freshly grated is important. As is, always grate your own cheese. Pre-grated/shredded cheese has anti-caking agents to keep the strands separate. These don’t melt and can give the sauce a texture that is a touch powdery.
Panko – a type of Japanese breadcrumb found in most supermarkets. It’s processed from crustless bread into large flakes. The coarser texture gives it a lighter, airier texture than most breadcrumbs. It’s also shelf-stable and great to store in the pantry. I’m a big fan of Panko. I freak out a bit when recipes ask for breadcrumbs and don’t give more details. There’s so much variability – fresh or dry? Coarse or fine? What type of bread? Panko is your reliable friend. I use them in my chicken schnitzel for the best crunchy crumb and in my spaghetti chicken dish. The topping has similar lemony herby vibes as this one.
Bacon- a small amount of streaky bacon adds salty, smoky flavour to the topping, plus a little bite. We render off the fat in it which flavours the whole dish.
Lemon – it’s incredible how the zest of one lemon can make such a difference. It adds a real freshness and pop to the dish so that it’s not only creamy and rich. Try to source an unwaxed/organic one. If you can’t, give it a good wipe to rub off the waxy coating that is usually applied to make it look shiny and appealing 🙄
Butter – used three ways 😊
- coats the boiled pasta to stop it sticking in clumps
- forms a roux with the flour to make the cheese sauce
- melted and added to other topping ingredients to make a delicious crispy crumb.
I recommend unsalted butter for cooking, That way, we can control the amount of salt in the recipe. There’s saltiness added from the parmesan and bacon.
Flour – used to thicken the cheese sauce. Plain/all-purpose.
Milk – use whole milk for the best flavour. There’s no cream in this recipe.
Parsley - a generous handful adds some freshness to the crumb and specks of contrasting colour.
🔪 Instructions
Boil Pasta
We want to cook the pasta, but not all the way. It will continue to soften in the sauce when it bakes in the oven. Boil it until it is tender but still has more bite than you’d like, a couple of minutes less than the packet suggests. At this point, drain it and stir through some butter to coat. This will help cool it down and stop the pasta sticking together.
Make Topping
The best way to cook bacon is slowly with a touch of water. Cook over medium heat until the water has gone and the fat is starting to render out of the bacon. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon, stirring often, until it is crisp and browned. Reduce the heat if it’s browning too fast (before the fat has rendered).
We zest the lemon with a rasp grater. Then we can either use a small food processor to get a fine crumb with the parsley and bacon or chop these finely by hand. Sometimes the idea of emptying and then cleaning a food processor makes me lean towards chopping finely by hand, which isn't too arduous a task. Some melted butter and the rendered bacon fat added with the bacon bits help coat the Panko in flavour and stop it burning in the oven. We fold through the Panko after the other topping ingredients without processing it. We want to keep its big irregular flakes for the best texture.
Make Sauce
We make a bechamel sauce using butter, flour and milk with some seasoning. We stir through plenty of grated cheese to melt.
Mix this well into the pasta. It will coat and fill the little tubes. Pour this all into the pan and sprinkle with the topping.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve fresh out the oven with a simple side salad or steamed veggies.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Baking dish, approximately 27cm round or 20cm square. The size is not critical, a few centimetres more or less will be fine. All the components are already cooked. Changing the size will affect how deep the pasta layer is and how much of the pasta has a crispy top. If you use a cast iron pan, you can use this to render the bacon too (and save on washing up).
Ingredients
Macaroni
- 240 g macaroni (or any short-cut pasta shape)
- 15 g unsalted butter (a tablespoon)
Crunchy Topping
- 60 g streaky bacon (about 2 rashers, depending on thickness)
- big handful parsley leaves (about 15g)
- zest of one lemon
- 30 g unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
- 60 g Panko breadcrumbs
Cheese Sauce
- 160 g cheese (note)
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 40 g plain flour
- 500 ml milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat Oven – to 180°C.
- Boil Pasta – bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and bring the water back to the boil. Cook for the time suggested on the packet MINUS a couple of minutes, or until it is a little underdone. Drain, return pasta to the pot, add butter and toss until melted.240 g macaroni15 g unsalted butter
- Bacon – finely chop the bacon and add to a cold dry frying pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of cold water. Stir to combine and spread the bacon out into a thin layer. Cook (uncovered) over low heat until the water has gone and the fat is starting to render out of the bacon. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon, stirring often, until it is crisp and browned. Reduce the heat if it’s browning too fast (before the fat has rendered).60 g streaky bacon
- Topping – finely chop the parsley. Transfer to a bowl along with the bacon and any bacon fat left in the pan and the lemon zest. Melt the butter in short burst in the microwave and add this. Add the Panko and scrunch together with your hands. Set aside.big handful parsley leaveszest of one lemon30 g unsalted butter60 g Panko breadcrumbs
Make Sauce
- Grate Cheese – coarsely, using the largest holes of a box grater.160 g cheese
- Butter & Flour – in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking until combined and coloured.40 g unsalted butter40 g plain flour
- Milk – add the cold milk all at once and immediately combine with a hand whisk or silicone spatula. You shouldn't get lumps if you add cold milk quickly in this way. Using a flexible spatula can help get into the 'corners' of the pan and keep the sauce from catching at the bottom.500 ml milk
- Thicken Sauce – Cook, keeping the mixture on the move, for around 5 minutes, until thickened and starting to bubble. The sauce should coat the spatula and be thick enough that you can draw a line with your finger that holds its shape. When this happens, take the sauce off the heat. Add the grated cheese, salt and pepper. The cheese doesn't have to melt all the way.½ teaspoon salt⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Assemble
- Combine – pour the sauce over the pasta and mix through well.
- Baking Dish - transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb topping.
- Bake – uncovered 20 minutes, or until the top is light golden. Rotate the dish halfway through the baking time for more even browning.
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