This Baked Mac and Cheese recipe is totally gourmet with the addition of crispy bacon and panko bread crumb topping. It will outshine any mac and cheese you’ve tasted!
Looking for more Kid Friendly Recipes? Try my Instant Pot Spaghetti, Breakfast Quesadillas, or Air Fryer Chicken Tenders!
What I LOVE about this recipe:
- Crumb Topping: The Panko bread crumb topping elevates the dish and adds great texture and taste, making it restaurant quality.
- The Homemade Sauce starts with a basic roux, and then a few spices to enhance the flavor and make the BEST, creamy, cheesy sauce for mac and cheese. If you’re looking for a very traditional version, try my regular mac and cheese recipe.
- Family Favorite: This is a huge crowd pleaser that I serve year round! You can bring it as a side to serve along with ribs, pulled pork or chicken, or serve it as a main dish with a side of green beans or roasted veggies.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese:
Cook the Pasta: Cook your favorite pasta according to package instructions, just until al dente (be careful not to overcook i)t! Strain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Cook the Bacon in a large skillet until perfectly crispy. Leave a tiny bit of that delicious bacon grease in the pan for the next step – the sauce!
Make the Sauce: Melt butter, whisk in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in milk. Mix together cornstarch and half and half. Gradually add it to skillet followed by mustard, chicken bouillon, onion powder, garlic, powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook until slightly thickened and remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese.
Add cooked pasta and some of the bacon.
Add topping: Pour mixture into 8×8’’ baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Add Panko, melted butter and olive oil to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until crumbs are golden brown. Evenly sprinkle bread crumb mixture over the gourmet mac and cheese. Add remaining bacon crumbles on top.
Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm.
Pro Tips:
- Avoid pre-shredded cheese: It’s really best to hand shred your own cheese, rather than using store bought pre-shredded cheese which contain preservatives and wont melt as well.
- Use high quality ingredients: The better the ingredients, the better the end result! In particular, high quality bacon and cheese! Great ingredients make all the difference in the end result truly tasting gourmet.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: You can make this creamy baked mac and cheese recipe 1-2 days ahead of time. Prepare the sauce, cook the noodles, and store both separately in the fridge until ready to bake.
To Freeze: Make the entire dish, but freeze before baking. Allow it to cool completely in the 8×8 pan, cover it well with plastic wrap and tinfoil and store it in the freezer for 2-3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake until warmed through and the cheese is bubbly on top.
Follow me for more great recipes
Recipe
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 1 ½ cups)
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste , or bouillon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper , or more to taste
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese *
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Breadcrumb topping:
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs , or regular breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon butter , melted
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions, just until al dente. Don’t overcook! Strain (don't rinse) and set aside.
- Shred cheese and set aside to allow to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 8×8 baking dish.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Remove some, but not all of the grease from the pan and chop/crumble into pieces.
- Make Cheese Sauce: Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and then whisk in flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in milk. Add the cornstarch to the half and half and whisk until smooth. Gradually add it to skillet followed by mustard, chicken bullion, onion powder, garlic, powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook sauce, stirring well, for a few more minutes, just until it begins to slightly thicken. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar cheese. Taste and add additional seasonings, if needed.
- Add bacon (reserve a handful to top at the end), and cooked pasta and toss to evenly coat in sauce. Pour mixture into 8×8’’ baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Breadcrumb topping: Add panko, melted butter and olive oil to a skillet (or the saucepan used to cook the pasta). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown. Evenly sprinkle over the mac cheese. Add remaining bacon crumbles on top.
- Bake 15-20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!
Follow Me
This post contains affiliate links.
Yummy. I made 2 servings which was a lot for two 😋
The MOST amazing Mac N Cheese ever! One of my sons moved back home and had it for the first time and said “OH MY GOD! This is better then Lasagna!” LOL! (My lasagna is awesome! thank you Betty Crocker! 🙂 )
One question though, crock pot. I’m thinking prep everything, leave the noodles a little less then al dente, make sure my sauce is a little extra creamy, put it together about an hour before I leave, heat it up. Throw in the bacon and the very last minute – stir it through. I’ll be honest my topping of choice is a crushed (bottom only) bag of Lays potato chips mixed with parm. 🙂 My bad! Top it and plug it back in at the BBQ.
What do you think Lauren?
Do you think it will sit okay, yes the topping won’t crisp – I need to think on that.
My son asked for bacon Mac and cheese and says this is a 10 out of 10! A bit time consuming but worth it.
Made this for Thanksgiving. Turned out so good! Hardly had any leftovers.
I made this for thanksgiving and I plan to make it annually. It’s so tasty. Such a good recipe. I made this a day prior to baking. I only put bacon with topping to avoid any potential soggy ness. Again. So good.
Fontina is also an excellent melting cheese. Can’t wait to try this I always mix my cheeses for mac and cheese, pizza and Italian dishes.
This has become one of our family favorites. I’ve made it several times and all 5 of us just love it every time. I switch back and forth between using bacon or ham, both are delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe.
What’s missing from this recipe is cheese. It’s a nicely flavoured creamy pasta, but it’s not mac and cheese. The amount of roux/sauce greatly outweighs the cheese (and I even added extra cheese when I saw how much sauce there was). In the future, I’d definitely use onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken bouillon for the flavor, but a different mac and cheese recipe.
Hi! If I make this the day before, and separate the pasta and the sauce – should I wait until the day of baking it all together to cook the bacon as well? I wasn’t sure if the bacon would get soggy sitting in the sauce mixture over night. Hope that question made sense – thanks!
I absolutely love all your food! Right now I am on my final attempt at weight loss. So so you show how much is in a serving, or if it is considered light?
Running the pasta under cold water won’t let the sauce stick as well. I wouldn’t do that!
Can you double this recipe
Yes, no problem! Enjoy!
At the top of the ingredients list and to the right you’ll see a stretched sphere (I forgot the shapes name) with a 1x 2x 3x in it. If you want to double the recipe just tap on the 2x, which is what I did with my first attempt. Bon’ Appetite!
Amazingly good!
I don’t normally rate recipes that I try, but this was ridiculously good! I substitued Wagyu Frankfurters sliced and cut into quarters for the bacon, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. It’s incredible. Thank You!
Just want to clarify some measurements: for 2 cups cheese how many ounces ungrated: Same for noodles, 1 1.2 cups?
Thank you
Sue Linquist
Great recipe. The family loves it.
Love! I didn’t have Half & Half so used part milk, part cream cheese. I also topped it with Gorgonzola cheese and diced tomato. This will definitely be a staple comfort food.
Mine came out yummy, and made an excellent side dish to the ribs I slow rolled on the grill for. four hours 🙂
This is and excellent meal, I’m not a cook, tried it and now the family wants more!!
Thanks
I do have one question. if you wanted to make it ahead of time in the day and serve it that night. Can you and what would your recommendations be to do that?
Thanks again
Yes, but I would store the sauce and noodles separately until you’re ready to bake it, otherwise the noodles will soak up some of the sauce.
Would you recommend storing separately if Im making this the night before?
Yes, store the pasta and sauce separately.
This has become a family favorite. We love the multiple flavors and textures. The time and effort are well worth the final results.
My seven year old twin granddaughters love this and have renamed it Nanna’s Mac n Cheese!
Serve it with a salad for their parents.
Do you think this recipe will be good as a take and bake meal? Stick it in the fridge for a day and then make it? If not, how about doubling the sauce, then do you think it would work.
Thanks! This looks delicious!
Sure! I would cook the noodles just barely until al-dente, or even undercook them for a minute. I think doubling or 1.5 the sauce is a good idea.
I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving Dinner. I prepared the sauce the night before and so glad I read the reviews first and the author’s response to not combine sauce to noodles till right before baking. I made that mistake the year before with Alton Brown’s recipe and was treated to super dry Mac and cheese. This year it was just what I wanted. Nice and creamy inside with that nice crisp of panko bread topping and Parmesan cheese “crust”. I followed the recipe, for the cheese I used 8 oz of Gouda and 16oz of Sharp cheddar. It was a nice contrast. I will definitely use this again (playing with cheese opinions- so many possibilities). Thanks so much for the great, easy instructions. The video was super great and made it so simple to follow along! Nice job, your site is a keeper!
Such a good dish.
Made this for a friend’s sister and brother!! Hoping it’s a hit!!
Made this for an office Christmas party. Doubled everything so it would feed a small army. Even so, it was gone in 10 minutes and received rave reviews. Took me a little longer to prepare than quoted, but it was my first go around with this recipe. I also put it under a broiler for five minutes to really put some color on the breading.
Made this TWICE this week for 2 Thanksgivings and it was such a hit!! Absolutely delicious.
Is it possible to store this overnight to save for Thanksgiving?
Hi Vitoria, the noodles will soak up the sauce, so I would suggest making the sauce and cooking the noodles and storing them separately. Then throw everything together the day of 🙂 Enjoy!
Great recipe! We loved it. My daughter in law said it was the best she’d ever had. Son told me he’s usually bored with mac and cheese after the second bite. He asked this morning if he could have some leftover for breakfast. Thanks for this keeper.
Thanks for sharing, I’m so glad it was a hit!
If I want to double this recipe, how much longer should I leave it in the oven??
Just until hot and bubbly 🙂
I made this for dinner last night. My daughter in law told me it was the best macaroni and cheese she’d ever had. My son told me that he usually is bored with mac and cheese after the second bite. He gave it rave reviews. This morning asked if he could have some of the leftover for breakfast. Thank you. Definitely five star rated!
I like mac and cheese thanks for the recipe
Oh my gosh!, This is the best Mac & Cheese I have ever eaten! I made it to see how it would turn out because I volunteered to bring Mac & cheese to an office birthday party. It will be a hit, for sure! We will eat this one and I’ll make another on Sunday to take on Monday. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. ??
Im so happy you liked it! Thanks Toni 🙂
I’m in NZ …. just wondering what is “half and half”??
Thanks
Hello in New Zealand! Half and half just means half heavy cream and half milk. Hope you enjoy the mac and cheese 🙂
This is a recipe that can be devoured any time of the year and tastes soooo good I add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon of crushed garlic and all I can say is wow.
I agree–it’s we enjoy it as a side or main dish any time of year! I love your additions of tomatoes and crushed garlic. Yum! Thanks for commenting
Made this mac and cheese as part of our dinner on Sunday. HUGE HIT. Best homemade mac and cheese I’ve tried.
We add chopped bacon to our chicken alfredo, omelets, salads, cheesy ranch potatoes. Lol everything is better with bacon.
https://twitter.com/ardy22/status/936425742631620609
I always add it to my favorite salad
https://twitter.com/l_nadya/status/936419418321637376
Thanks for the chance, this would be perfect!
https://twitter.com/Twright86/status/936371707551592448
I love making smothered chicken with bacon. I smother the chicken with cheese, bacon and mushrooms!
https://twitter.com/alexbaylor27/status/936364302684090368
I think you nailed it. Mac and Cheese with some bacon bits sounds great. I also like to liven up salads with bits.
I like it in omlets.
I add bacon to soups like clam chowder or baked potato soup.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/936348671142064128
I do a wilted spinach salad that has to have bacon.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/936345945238900736
I like to add bacon to pasta salad
we make a casserole sausage and sauerkraut and we like to add bacon for taste.
tweet, tweet
https://twitter.com/dlc917
My family loves my Bacon, Broccoli and Cheese side dish.
Tweeted-https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/936328731861295104
Green bean casserole!
Hash brown casserole with bacon
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/936321905618976769
I know people will think I’m crazy but one of my favorite meals is liver with onions and bacon. Cook the bacon first and then the onions in the bacon grease. I usually make at least one onion per slice of liver. We love our onions cooked in bacon fat. Then flour and season the liver and cook it in the bacon grease. So delicious.
https://twitter.com/heidiho5152/status/936284858950676480?s=17
My favorite dish to add bacon to is egg frittata.
Tweet https://twitter.com/mybutterflies/status/936280751909240836
I love adding bacon to all types of salads and my scalloped potato casserole.
I like bacon in my brussell sprouts and really is there anything that is not good with bacon??
https://twitter.com/smethvin/status/936248737722191874
Im always looking for a new Mac and cheese Recipe. This sounds amazing and I love Bacon and love it in almost everything.
Tweeted – https://twitter.com/ClairFreebie/status/936212202524233729
I love adding crispy bacon pieces on top of my salads!
https://twitter.com/DarkMysticNight/status/936192389529722880
I love to add bacon in our loaded potato and chicken casserole.
I LIKE BACON ADDED TO EVERYTHING…PIZZA, POTATOES, SALAD, ETC.
I love adding it to meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
I like to add bacon to lettuce salad, with tomatoes and chunk cheddar cheese. Yum!
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/936091293649965057
My favorite dish to add bacon to is pasta salad
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/936059718887460864
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I like to add it to green beans
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I love twice baked potatoes with lots of crispy bacon.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/936040533008535552
I like to put bacon on my pizza.
Tweeted https://twitter.com/vranasweep/status/936031085716230145
I add bacon to chicken salad – makes it delicious
I add bacon to mac and cheese, yummy!
I love to wrap bacon around chicken and cook in the oven
My favorite dish to add bacon to is my homemade meatloaf recipe, or I love adding bacon pieces in my sauteed green beans!
Broccoli Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad!
https://twitter.com/fdp4life/status/935583438882689024
I am vegan these days but when I enjoyed bacon I loved it on my hamburgers.
I like to add bacon to burgers.
I like to put bacon on cheeseburgers.
I like cheddar broccoli soup with bacon added .
https://twitter.com/mkjmc/status/928384271529775109
I add it to green beans
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/927961095859564545.
I’m with you, bacon goes great with macaroni and cheese. We also add broccoli too!
This mac n cheese looks amazing. I like to add bacon to my omelets. Thank you!
Wow!!!This looks Awesome!!! Looks and sounds ah-mazing!!!Thanks for the recipe.
Bacon with Brussels sprouts and couscous!
https://twitter.com/msmidknight7/status/912647246390448128
Bacon makes everything better. We are big bacon fans and mac and cheese.
My favorite dish to add bacon to is lentils #SweepstakesEntry
https://mobile.twitter.com/AuntPixiepoo/status/901800331545333761
I always use bacon to flavor my green beans. They just wouldn’t be the same without it! I also use bacon in potato salad, baked beans, country gravy, most any casserole I bake and even in my deviled eggs…so yummy!!
love it on a cobb salad
tweeted – https://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/895065768055799809
I like bacon in my salads!
link to tweet
https://twitter.com/avrilsgranny/status/889380524850114560
I love bacon with everything but my favorite is probably a bacon tomato and cheese sandwich.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Stephanie64030/status/889346790696386560
I tried a breakfast casserole for the family the other day, added the cheese on top and sprinkled with bacon. It turned out amazing, the whole family really liked it.
I love adding bacon to potato salad. It really adds an extra kick!
Amazingly good!
tweeted – https://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/884263140984147969
I like to add bacon to my burger
Twice baked potatoes with bacon crumbled on top, Cobb salad with bacon crumbled in and sandwiches.
I like o add it to salads
Tweeted https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/876288289300504576
I like adding bacon to pasta along with tomatoes and lettuce.
Great salad!
thank you
I love to add bacon to my quiche recipes!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/875855476084355072
The ingredients list “1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon” but this is not in the recipe instructions…?
Sorry for the typo! Fixed! You add the bullion at the same time as all of the other spices.
A bacon and egg sandwich is my favorite lunch
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/871521198278094848
I like to add bacon to my pasta salad. I also like to make turkey bacon burgers.
I like to wrap boneless chicken breasts with bacon.
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/871360861176123395
I love adding bacon to my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta salad. Makes it taste so good!
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/871356698203652096 tweeted!
Corrected tweeted. Sorry https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/871357534170492929
I add leftover bacon to salads and scrambled eggs.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/cshell202/status/871303005248774144
cshell090869 at aol dot com
I like to add bacon on pizza.
cshell090869 at aol dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/870718089121325057
I like to add bacon to sauteed green beans and dandelion greens
I love to add bacon to a spinach salad with cucumbers and tomatoes.
tweet: https://twitter.com/Twenteries/status/869622110557097984
My favorite dish to add bacon to is a loaded baked potato. So delicious!
Spinach Artichoke Dip!!
tweet https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/869154144032051201
i love putting bacon on pizza
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/868574619590168576
I love adding bacon to omelets! I also add in cheese, onions and mushrooms.
https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/868427832296386560
I like adding bacon to twice baked potatoes!
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/866456898664448000
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
My favorite dish to add bacon to is omelette!
amy [at] uTry [dot] it
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/866417222700412933
tweet- https://twitter.com/mitajdav/status/866385514726916096
I like on Chicken toasted sandwiches.
What can bacon NOT make better? I have a great pasta salad that requires it.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/866037123526340609
Thanks again.
I like to add bacon to turkey wraps. Thanks so much.
I add bacon to hamburgers or in breakfast burritos.
I love bacon on avocado toasted sandwiches.
Chicken, bacon pizza with BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce. Yum!
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/855830707545026560
I really enjoy adding bacon to scrambled eggs-so good!
Bacon is good on everything! I love it in all pasta dishes, salads and most sides 🙂
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/pixel_berry_pie/status/863934808480776192
I would love bacon in just about anything. I do enjoy it on egg sandwiches. 🙂
westiemks5 at yahoo dot com
https://twitter.com/TheresaJenkins/status/863805767895441409
WE add bacon to a lot of foods …eggs, sandwiches, salads , bake beans and a lot of our casserole dishes <just a few, we love bacon
I love Chicken Carbonara.
tweet – https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/861722179750084608
I love bacon in spaghetti squash.
Tcarolinep at gmail dot com
I like to wrap chicken breasts in bacon and bake them in the oven.
I love adding bacon to my spanish omelette recipe.
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/860467368090370049
I love to add bacon to my pancake mixture
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/860155530077245441
I like to add bacon to my baked beans for picnics. It really adds a lot of flavor.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/859776068206694400
I love bacon on a grilled chicken salad.
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/859612364672344064
I like to add bacon to potato salads
Tweeeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Anastasia_Fall/status/859585000085139456
You mean, besides everything?!! lol I love adding bacon to my cheeseburgers 🙂 It showcases the bacon well! 🙂
This looks amazing! I have been searching for a great baked mac n’ cheese recipe! Thanks for sharing!
tweet – https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/859189112460509185
I love adding bacon to omelets! It adds a nice salty taste to the eggs, cheese, and veggies.
Me too! So yummy!
I love bacon on anything, but I love a great BLT sandwich!
Mac and cheese is my favorite to add bacon to – and yours looks great.
I cook sliced onion in bacon pan and add it with the bacon.